The night started off strong, with a nice dinner and visit with DGS at the Depot Tavern. After a couple of burgers and lots of tots, we headed next door for the show. Surprisingly, they had signs up saying no photography and the bouncers were telling people it was at the request of the artist. I respect the right of bands to have whatever terms they want, but I also believe if they want to impose restrictions, they should inform people before they buy a ticket so they can vote with their wallet on whether or not they agree.

Now I understand the backlash against phone/camera use at shows, really, I get it. Taking concert photos is half the fun for me, though. I’ve followed PGA Tour photo guidelines and know how to be respectful of my surroundings. I like the challenge of crappy lighting and shooting with non-professional gear to try and get something I can use on this site to remember my experiences. If artists are really that concerned with being in the moment, maybe they should do something about all the rude people talking during the quiet songs. Hell, tonight they talked through all the songs – and this was in the front row. Come on, people, if you want to talk, go in the back and stand by the bar.

On top of all of the that, they allowed the house photographer/media guy to shoot the first three songs while standing in front of everyone (and the big NO PHOTOGRAPHY signs). Marketing and promotion, whatever. But then the freakin’ guitar tech jumps in front at the end of the show and takes a bunch of shots with his phone. Hypocritical much? Ugh. I guess it’s just a major pet peeve of mine using the words “NO” and “DO NOT” in the entertainment world…

As for the performance itself – what more can I say about Mr. 69 on the Rolling Stone Top 100 Guitarists of all-time list? DGS calculated the first time we saw him was 21 years ago (also at First Avenue). I loved that he opened for himself, playing a solo acoustic set that was just stellar. When he came back with an awesome bassist and drummer, you knew the rest of the night would be something special (see set list above). Too bad they had such limited merch this time (no T-shirts, only a couple CDs).

Oh well, stay positive y’all. And a big shout out to Bill DeVille – Arcs and RT forever!