I've been a fan of Mike Doughty since 2005, and had seen him live 3 times between 2010-14, when he first really started to play shows in my area. To me, there wasn't a better way to kick off one's 2017, and better yet, he brought 2000's one-hit wonders Wheatus on tour with him this time.
As for Wheatus, I must confess, I had only ever heard "Teenage Dirtbag" a number of times when it first came out, but man, I loved that song and still do. It's the quintessential alt-rock tune dedicated to all the losers out there, of which I've always been one. Really, anyone who's felt like they've never fit in can relate to that song. On this night, Wheatus (or, at least 3 members of Wheatus) played a solid 8-song opening set, with "Teenage Dirtbag" being their last song. Before they started "Teenage Dirtbag" they thanked the audience for remembering it, and also thanked Mike Doughty for bringing them on tour with him, mentioning that they would be serving as most of Doughty's backing band for the evening, and that this meant a whole lot to them. When "Teenage Dirtbag" did start, I enthusiastically sang along to every word. This was a great rendition of the song, and Wheatus frontman Brendan B. Brown can really sing. I'm honestly envious of his falsetto skills.
After about a 25-minute wait, Doughty's long-time sideman and cellist Andrew "Scrap" Livingston, complete with a walking cane needed due to a medical thing he went through a year ago, began setting up his cello. Another 10-minutes or so later and Wheatus members Brendan B. Brown, Matthew Millegan and Gabrielle Sterbenz came back onstage and set up once more, followed by Doughty's drummer "Indiana" Pete Wilhoit, and finally the man himself, Mike Doughty.
Mike opened his set with a solo rendition of the Soul Coughing song "Lazybones", played on this mini synthesizer that he reinvented the song with in 2013. I had heard him play this live before in 2014 so it was nothing new. Mostly everything else played on this night was new to me, however. Doughty completely ditched his usually heavy-on-Haughty Melodic (Mike's 2005 album) setlist, and instead played what was essentially Soul Coughing with a few Doughty solo tunes added in. What went on through the set was interesting to me and something I'd never seen before; Doughty conducts the band via certain hand signals, essentially making the performance a live remix show. Overall his set did feel slightly short to me, but I can't complain. I had never seen Doughty with a band before, only solo or as a duo with Scrap. Despite the short-ish set, it was still an amazing night and I will never forget it.
Wheatus setlist:
The London Sun
Real Girl
Lemonade
Texas
Sunshine
Pretty Girl
Valentine
Teenage Dirtbag
Mike Doughty setlist:
Lazybones
Sleepless / Sugar Free Jazz
Rational Man
Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago
Raging On
Bus to Beelzebub
Wednesday (No Se Apoye)
Circles
Shunned + Falsified / I Can't Believe I Found You in That Town
How Many Cans?
Light Will Keep Your Heart Beating in the Future
So Far I Have Not Found the Science
Oh My God Yeah F*** It / St. Louise Is Listening
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True Dreams of Wichita
