‘Weekend’ in New England

Photo by DFFD123
The Dictators NYC at the Parlor in Newport, R.I., on Sept. 17. Had I known there would be Spookyworld lighting, I would have dug my zombie makeup out a month early. #nofilter

This thing of ours ain’t always pretty or easy. Sometimes, like a pitcher who finds out in his first inning that half his stuff isn’t working, a band has to simply soldier on and find a way to make the magic happen.

This was the terrain the Dictators NYC found themselves in in their recent w/e in MA and RI. Indifferent or incompetent sound men, borrowed equipment, and a singer whose voice was working on zero days’ rest added up to a thin hand.

Friday’s gig was at Once, a swanky new place in Somerville, MA, in front of a boisterous crowd that HDM immediately cozied up to by telling us that we all s*cked for being Red Sox fans. We love you too, Big Guy. I hope those cleat marks on the Yankees’ necks wash off with a little soap.

While a ton of fun for everyone who wasn’t on stage, you could see that the guys were a little frustrated by the technical difficulties. This proved to be a foreshadowing of things to come the next night.

Saturday’s gig was at the Parlor in Newport, RI. It’s a cozy room with a 6-inch-high stage, which was filled with RI knuckleheads who had a crazy pit going 30 seconds into the show when they last played there in Jan. This show may have been a little too close to the last one, and as a result the room wasn’t as full. Friday’s sound issues were a drop in the proverbial bucket compared to what they encountered this night. At times the sound on stage was so unworkable that HDM came into the crowd and sang while standing directly in front of the stacks so he could hear himself.

It’s days like these that make us appreciate the commitment, the dedication, and the respect between the band and their audience, all of whom had to dig deep and work a little harder to make sure a good time was had by all.

Thanks go out to Stephen Cali for putting on, and putting up with all the mishegas involved in, the Friday show.

Set list (both nights)

1. Master Race Rock
2. Haircut and Attitude
3. Next Big Thing
4. P*ssy and Money
5. WWSRnR?
6. I Stand Tall
7. Weekend
8. Baby Let’s Twist
9. Savage Beat
10. Faster and Louder
11. Supply and Demand
12. New York, New York
13. Stay With Me
14. Encore – The Party Starts Now (Newport only)

— Salvi C.

Photo by DFFD123