The Doobie Brothers!

by Craig Havighurst, Music City Roots producer

If you’d asked me five years ago about the Doobie Brothers I’d have had very positive things to say about their varied catalog, their vocals and their place in my personal memory bank of formative FM radio years. I would not, however, have known enough to put them prominently on the roots/Americana matrix, as per Creedence or Bob Dylan or some other 70s staples. Now I know better. The Doobies – 45 years in to a great American career – played two long sets for Music City Roots, and they blew us away. Anchored in the blues and consummate musicianship, they weren’t even remotely going through the motions or coasting on past glory. In fact I’m told the guys took great care curating and rehearsing their MCR show by reviving some rootsy material from early albums they haven’t played in years. That generosity of spirit flowed from planning to sound check to the triumphant show closing jam on “Listen To The Music,” which is, after all, something like our mission statement.

We needed some kind of absorbing, relaxing table setter for this unusual night, and we found that in Jim Hurst. The Nashville guitar master was effusive about MCR on stage and made the narrative even more compelling by sharing that the first concert he ever went to with his wife was a Doobie Brothers show in the late 70s. He was overjoyed to share a bill with them, and he couldn’t have made his set any more satisfying if he’d brought a band. The band was in his hands, playing bass, rhythm and lead all with Jerry Reed-inspired thumb and fingers. He sang beautifully as well, clearly having come of age with affection for Tony Rice and Gordon Lightfoot. Jim’s voice was gentle and authoritative on opener “Old Fright Train” which ended with his strings making whistles in the distance and Doppler effects with skillful left hand bends. He performed a delightful old country song that just happened to be written by his mother and father. “Swamp Reed” was his own tribute to his Georgia-born guitar idol, and our audience proved they weren’t just there for the “headliner” by roaring approval of this intricate instrumental and Jim’s entire set as well.

Today’s Doobie Brothers are built around 1970s originators Patrick Simmons and Tom Johnston, who played their way through an entire guitar store on this evening, and John McFee whose range is famous, playing steel (lap and pedal) and fiddle. Rounding out the group is our pal John Cowan on bass, two drummer/percussionists (Ed Toth and Tony Pia) and keyboardist Guy Allison. Saxophonist Marc Russo would stroll on stage for incredible solos where called for and dematerialize otherwise. For the first set, drums and keys held back while guest musicians Dan Tyminski and Béla Fleck joined on mandolin and banjo, lending a superbly Nashville touch to the acoustic segment of the evening.

It would take a Doobie Brothers scholar to tease out the lineage of all the songs from this show and which were indeed live rarities. What I know is they could have played 90 minutes of hits and been loved for it. But they brought us a tasty range of songs that invited us to lean in with excitement and admire the band’s interplay and musical skill. “Chicago” was, not surprisingly, a straight blues that saw the first big solos of the night, from McFee’s flattop guitar to Dan’s mandolin to Béla’s banjo. “Snake Man” paired luminous harmony vocals against raw lap steel for a shivering effect. That flowed into “Steamer Lane” a how-about-that instrumental number that evoked the spirit of New Grass Revival and the Earl Scruggs Revue. Set one ended with fan euphoria over the intensely fun and intricate round of “Black Water.”

After a very nice and easy interview (how lucky am I?) they were back at it with electric guitars in the mix and a more assertive presence from the drummers. They kicked off with “Nobody,” a song from the band’s first album that made a comeback on the recent World Gone Crazy album, which ought to help solidify it as a Doobies standard. Then the night’s third special guest, country rocker Casey James, came on board to play some steamy Stratocaster on “Jesus Is Just Alright.” Here’s where the audience went from very happy to borderline bananas. Our 800 person capacity crowd was on its feet for most of the rest of the set, which floated into some nice psychedelic territory. The double drummers got into full Grateful Dead mode with mallets on “Clear As The Driven Snow.” “South City Midnight Lady” was a bit of a mellow breather with crafty chord changes. The night ended with Tyminski and Fleck returning for “Long Train Runnin’.” Our dance pit filled up, including all four sisters from our beloved band SHEL, who knew every word and who danced like it was the end of the world. And then it was quickly on to the Nashville Jam, as Jim Hurst returned and Mark Volman (of the Turtles) emerged to join in on the vocal. It was happy chaos. The band sounded sensational. The song was an anthem to everything we believe in.

 


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