Dawes at Liberty Hall, Lawrence KS (2023-04-16) live review

“It’s a Sunday…well, it’s Saturday for us up here, so it’s Saturday out there!”

Los Angeles band Dawes is back on the road, supporting their eighth full-length, Misadventures of Doomscroller, (out last July via Rounder Records) and seemed very determined to extend the free spirit of the weekend, for as long as possible.

The new album stretches out their sound and features longer instrumental passages, channeling the jam band tendencies we all know they had in them. In concert, they suitably returned to their An Evening With… format (the way we caught them live back in pre-pandemic 2018 and before that in Minneapolis 2017) which features no opening acts and two full sets.

For the Lawrence, KS audience at Liberty Hall, this was pure bliss, seeing their favorite band who hadn’t played the college town since a 2014 show alongside Conor Oberst (yup, we caught that tour live as well).

The first seventy-five-minute set started with a hush, and front man Taylor Goldsmith stripping 2011 favorite “A Little Bit of Everything” to its bare essence, given a gospel vibe with some Booker T-style organ work from keyboardist Lee Pardini.

From there, a taste of the new, with “Ghost in the Machine” (with some vintage L.A. Ray Manzarek-sounding keys) from the new record and a limber version of 2009’s “My Girl to Me” with 2015’s “Somewhere Along the Way” allowing them to extend into a groove instrumental mid-section.

Goldsmith’s song titles give a peek into his demeanor from the mid-set “We’re All Gonna Die” and reminding that “Everything is Permanent”, with a trepidacious dose of positivity on 2018’s “Living in the Future”. Goldsmith is usually most effective when he’s storytelling, revealing characters and being introspective, like on “Comes in Waves” from Doomscroller and the show’s first half ended on a high note, with the audience doing the chorus singing on 2009’s “When My Time Comes”.

Set Two began with a surprise- literally– as Goldsmith began solo and acoustic with a new, yet-unreleased song, “Surprise!” before younger brother Griff strode out to take lead vocals on the Alabama-flavored “Roll Tide”.

The full band rejoined on stage for their newest single, “What It Takes”, a song keyboardist Pardini first developed as an instrumental, with Goldsmith later adding lyrics about all of the daily demands of growing up in a city, takes upon someone.

The peaceful, easy feeling of their Laurel Canyon sound sank in deeper with 2015’s “Right on Time” and “Most People” from the prior album, that showed off the Goldsmith brothers harmonies and band’s musical dexterity, particularly longtime touring guitarist Trevor Menear, who has truly become so in sync, it's as if he’s played with the group since day one.

2020’s playful “Still Feel Like a Kid” adds some sunny California “bop-bops” to its chorus and the ten-minute epic opener from the new album, “Someone Else's Café/Doomscroller Tries to Relax” packed even more punch live with some jazzy riffing.

The sing-along of 2015’s “All Your Favorite Bands" (complete with fans waving “Let’s Party” caps freshly purchased from the merch stand) would end the main set with flourish.

After some rabid applause and a room full of foot-stomping, Goldsmith re-appeared and strapped on his acoustic guitar for what would be the final song of the night- a gentle, poetic and poignant “Things Happen”, because “that’s all they ever do”.

The band’s appearance was also bittersweet, as fans knew it would be the last time seeing co-founding bassist Wylie Gelber perform with the group, he announcing his leaving to pursue other ventures after this run of shows. A true end to a chapter of the band, they had played together since all were teenagers, and so it made sense that the loudest applause was often reserved for the bassist.

From the numerous shouts all night for songs not played even after the two long sets, it was obvious that Dawes would have been more than welcomed to play a third set. Which means not only are they beloved in the area, but it’s a perfect excuse to catch them again on their next time through, and seeing where that next musical chapter finds one of America’s best-working bands.

Remaining tour dates:

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