Sunday night was our 4th time seeing Dogstar live in the last 12 months (give or take a week or so…). This time they were at the Great American Music Hall, which is a great venue, and highly recommended.
I’ve written about all their past shows here, and honestly nothing much has changed with Dogstar. My earlier prediction that Bret’s guitar playing would be on fire by the end of the tour has come to pass and they’ve still got a few weeks to go. I’ve known Bret for 40+ years and played in numerous bands with him, as well as followed his other projects over the years and I can say with absolute confidence that last night was some of the best guitar work I’ve ever seen from him! His playing brought me a lot of joy, seeing him come so far. And there was a really special (to me) moment during the show when Bret talked about growing up in San Jose and this being a “home” show, and how he and his friend “who’s here tonight in the audience” used to play clubs on Broadway in SF, and that’s where it all started… Anyway, it was maybe a little sappy to the rest of the audience, but to me and the Mrs. it was special for him to acknowledge our history. Thanks brother!
The set wasn’t much different than the last few shows, though they did throw in an oldie or two as well as a couple new songs not yet recorded… Overall though, it was another strong showing. It’s a shame more people pay attention to the bass player than the actual music happening on stage, but I’m still very happy for their success on this tour and their great new record.
The real shock of the night and a most pleasant surprise was the opening act, The Trims, from San Jose, my (sorta) home town.
I had never heard of the band, but a cursory search told me they’d been around for several years and are getting some traction on our local “Alt Rock” radio station, Live 105. Their sound had a stellar vintage ’80’s New Wave feel, like The Cure and the Damned, sorta dark and moody, but at the same time had some really punchy, upbeat parts. I really, REALLY liked this band and look forward to seeing them again. They were super enthusiastic and energetic on stage, particularly their lead guitarist Tito – he was unbelievably entertaining to watch and simultaneously he just kept whipping out killer guitar parts! It was an extremely fun set to see!
I spoke briefly with Tito backstage after the show and as it turns out, the band has their rehearsal studio in the same building I have my rehearsal studio! Its a small world my friends, a small world! I also had a passing moment with their bassist (who’s name I didnt catch unfortunately) and let him know how much I loved their set, to which he replied “Tell Keanu!”… Well, I had talked to Keanu earlier in the evening and didn’t see him again, so Keanu if you’re reading this, The Trims were AWESOME and you should definitely consider them for opening slots down the road!
Well friends, that about wraps up this review. We’ll be seeing Dogstar AGAIN in about 3 weeks, and that should be a wrap on this year’s tour, but we already have tickets for several shows coming up in 2024, so don’t fret I’ll be back to writing about other bands before you know it!
Thanks Dogstar and the GAMH Staff and last but not least The Trims for an excellent night of music!
Thanks for stopping by!
The Boring Old Man 