Opener HGM from North Carolina showed some good songwriting and guitar-centric rock. Lead singer had a Ryan Adams flair (even sported the tight denim jacket). Drums, bass, sax, and keys/slide guitar rounded out the group. Singer had just enough twang for an enjoyable lead-in for Dawes.
The hall was packed to see Dawes, which seemed to surprise leader and singer Taylor Goldsmith. The crowd had an interesting demographic, mainly young couples aged 20-40. Dawes has a few records with minimal hit recognition but a seemingly fervent following. The plateau where jam, rock, and pop reside is a tiny space with slippery slopes on all sides. Dawes tried to maintain balance on this coveted real estate, but inevitably fell off. Comparisons to Jackson Browne and Counting Crows should have tipped me off. Thankfully they didn't try to recreate the Brown classic "Lawyers in Love" which is one of the tunes I seem to despise most. Tame songwriting and un inspirational musicianship flowed from Dawes. On one tune, the refrain was "I'll take some mashed potatoes and some chicken wings cause I'm a little bit of everything", I guess they have as much "everything" as a KFC value meal.
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