In what seems to be becoming a tradition, Wiscon’s BoDeans came to the Twin Cities at the end of the year, this time packing the Pantages Theatre. They certainly have a dedicated fan base here, and not just among the economic, political and lactose-intolerant refugees from out easterly neighbor.
3 decades, countless concerts and 12 studio albums (with a 13th in the works for 2017) the BoDeans have undergone some lineup changes but singer Kurt Neumann and drummer Kenny Aronoff retain the spirit of a great band. There was no opener, surprising a few audience members showing up fashionable late. Most of the audience seemed veterans of numerous BoDeans shows and sang along to the chorus of “Fadeway” (which had a very cool segment of the Police’s “Message in a bottle” towards the end). “Texas Ride Song” brought out an accordion giving it a distinct Tejano feel.
What I really liked about the show was that it was all about the band. Neumann was not on a suspended stage above the crowd, there were no confetti blasts or other gimmicks. Lights were great, again straightforward and effective. There were numerous little touches that added to the experience like the keyboards being draped to blend into the stage. The audience was clearly into the show, folks left their seats to dance on the side or in the back and cheers greeted each song. My personal favorite of the whole show was “You don’t get much”. Aronoff’s drums drove the song hard. This was my first time seeing the BoDeans live and enjoyed it quite a bit.
Set List: Fadeaway / Idaho /Texas Ride Song / Paradise / Roll / Stay On / Get Much / My Hometown / Good Work / I’m on Fire / Naked / Still / Good Things Encore: Only Love /Closer to Free
