Kevin Devine and Murder By Death, 9:30 Club, April 22, 2016

It's been ages since I went to a concert - months even - so for a date night, I noticed two acts I had seen before and liked playing together at 9:30 Club on a Friday night. Why not?

Kevin Devine 4/22/16 9:30 Club

Kevin Devine I last saw at Red Palace. I was there for the opener, but he was so personable on stage that I was happy to stay and listen to his act, despite no familiarity with his music. I’m a sucker for entertaining banter. At this show, he opened (late – after 9 pm) with “The Goddamn Band” (his two band mates) to a sparse crowd. None of the personality of his bygone Red Palace show was in evidence. They were talented, no doubt, and Kevin had a lot of energy dancing on stage, but I was there for personality, and that was not on display. Good enough, but nothing special.

Murder By Death 4/22/16 9:30 Club

Murder By Death was the headliner. They went on after 10 pm, which is unusual at the 9:30 club.  9:30 pm is normal – it’s even in the name. Personally, I love those early start times. It’s one of the big advantages going to 9:30 Club instead of Black Cat, where I last saw Murder By Death. That night was also a happy accident; I was there for another act. But I digress. Murder By Death is a five piece band whose members are verging on middle age. There’s a drummer, a keyboardist, a female cellist, a bassist, and a deep-voiced singer who played guitar. Last I saw them, they had so much fun on stage in a raucous, piratical way, that I immediately added them to Songkick so I’d know when they came back to town. This time the singer looked like he’d stepped out of a 1970’s cowboy movie: big mustache, plaid shirt, jeans, hair on the longer side and slicked back. Maybe it was his look, but I swear some of the songs reminded me of a spaghetti western soundtrack. He was also in good shape and has a great voice, so it was no hardship watching him sing. The band started out with a cover of “Nothing Compares to You” as a tribute to Prince, who had died the day before. (The tower on top of the 9:30 Club was also lit up with purple lights in memory of him.) The rest of the set sounded good, but again, there wasn’t much going happening on stage. There was a little visual interest added by a black and white screen show behind the band, but not much interaction. So again, good enough, but not worth seeing live a third time.