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Dave Dobbyn Concert Reviews
USA & Canada, November 1998.

 

Including:

REVIEW of Dobbyn support slot at Neil Finn gig
14 November, 1998. 7th Note, San Francisco, USA.

By Dyane Leshin.

What a night! It's the day after and I am still reeling from all the excitement. Well, where do I begin? Joe & I got to the venue at the early hour of 5 p.m., where there were already about 10-15 "Neilers" (Joe came up with this fan name) Joe is also a Dobbyn fan & a musician, and a humble, mellow concertgoer - he's a good influence for me! We proceded to wait three hours in the biting cold until the doors opened at 8 p.m., but no matter. One funny thing that happened during the wait was this: Nature called (that's not the funny part) so I went to the corner cafe to visit the porcelain goddess. Whilst I was waiting to enter the occupied restroom I could crystal clearly hear Neil Finn's soundcheck; he was singing a gorgeous "Walking on the Spot" So what does Dyane do? Wait another 20 mintues listening, hoping that Dave would go on, but he didn't. Joe was worried about me when I returned to the line, but he understood, thank God.

The 7th Note (formerly Wolfgang's, where Crowded House played over a decade ago) was small (its capacity is approx. 600) and we got near the stage right away. Promptly at 9 p.m. Dave Dobbyn came onstage, dressed in a nice black top with a white zipper and dark pants, for those of you into fashion. By that point Katie Harrar and I had made contact and it was good know she was there safe & sound. She also had the Belltower promo cards too -more about those later. Dave introduced himself, and launched into "Language." His voice sounded good to me - Joe thought it was a bit ragged but it was still excellent & vibrant. He looked tired though - no wonder after hearing of the Largo jam! Also, Neil later explained that it had been a hectic day, their luggage being lost at SF Airport, they had terrible traffic troubles, resorting to taking a cable car to the downtown area because they were waiting for 45 minutes for a taxi to no avail.

Anyway, Dave next sung "Hanging in the Wire" (explaining a bit about the song before singing it), after he performed this song, he distinctly mentioned his website called the Belltower!!! It was a one sentence mention - I was stoked he brought it up - he must have been fired up from Boston. Then he sang Mobile Home, telling all it was from "The Islander" and that it could be bought as an import...he also sung "Whaling" (a strong version, but not many were singing with it of course - I wished I was in NZ instead for that one!), Beside You, Loyal (amazing version!!!! you could tell the audience esp. enjoyed this one by the vibe) & the Hallelujah Song. Neil came onstage for the Hallelujah Song to everyone's delight and played piano in the dark for a while. Joe noticed that Dave was hinting out loud that Neil needed a spotlight "There's Mr. Neil Finn on the piano back there in the dark"- it was rather humorous. During his set he was quite witty and upbeat, discussing in Nostradobbyn-like fashion the San Andreas Fault and the impending doom of the Bay Area! He also got a bit political, discussing the irony of how the President was too caught up with Iraq and didn't hardly address Veteran's Day, but then excused himself for being too serious.

In the middle of the room there was a distinct Dave Dobbyn section - Katie was there! They were supportive and great - I was proud. I wish I was with them instead of being off to the side a bit and being the lone cheerleader around all the Finnies. However, I made a few expressions of delight and a very accurate throw - more on that later. Toward the end of his set the Dobbyn Cheerleaders (I should say Ummers) called out a few requests - someone said "Memorial Greenhouse"! Katie, was that you? Who was that? After hearing that one I couldn't resist it, and called out "Overentertained" and Dave looked impressed, saying "Wow! Those are old ones" and totally looking surprised that anyone knew those songs- it was a good moment. Katie handed me the promo cards to hand out to others, which I did - they looked fantastic and tasteful and her promoting Dave was a very cool and great thing to do, by the way. Of course Dave's set sped by and when it was apparent he was leaving the stage I threw my Dobbyn Gift Bag at him, containing my alma mater UC Santa Cruz's unique Banana Slug T-shirt (It's the exact same style one that John Travolta wears in the Tarantino flick "Pulp Fiction") & a card and something that I did not mean to leave in the bag: my borrowed black angora gloves...I got them back later. I totally beaned Dave with this bag as he and Neil walked off; miraculously nothing fell out and Dave made a triumphant gesture with his arms for grabbing the bag itself. My whole section was cracking up and congratulated me on my excellent aim because it all happened so fast - Joe told me my throw was "on the numbers" which was a new expression for me.

Neil came onstage and launched his set, telling us he was wearing his airplane clothing due to the lost luggage. He sounded exquisite -despite looking pretty tired. It was a relaxed show - nothing pretentious. When he introduced Grant Lee Phillips to the stage I was bummed but I soon became a fan of his after hearing his fantastic voice. Neil deemed Grant's voice "amazing" and they sounded good together, esp. on "Pale Blue Eyes" and the impromptu "Ben's Song".

After Neil sang many standards and a great Split Enz version of "The Devil You Know" etc., guess who came out to play? Clothed in a gorgeous, huge gray UC Santa Cruz T-shirt that was so big he had it form a hood over his head - Neil exclaimed that he was "Quasimodo"... you got it. Dobboman! I am glad I got him that shirt because their luggage *was* lost so he had a nice clean thing to wear. Neil and Dave played "Sinner", and Dave screwed up on the electric guitar, so they stopped and Neil said (in his control-freak, but loving, since-it-was-Dave style) it would be better if they worked it out first and started anew - and Dave was so funny - He opened his eyes quite wide, made contorted faces and said "I have sinned!" quite dramatically to Neil - and it was a great little bit 'o banter between them. At one point Dave quoted the famous line from Hamlet: "is that a dagger I see before me?" and he & Neil pretended they were snobby actors..."get off of my stage!" "but I live for the theater!" type of stuff back & forth. They also played "Weather with You,""I Got You" and a song with Grant Lee Philips. Towards the end of the show Neil was drinking red wine onstage and then asked if he could bring "the bottle" onstage too - the bottle turned out to be a HUGE plastic blown-up Bacardi bottle - and Joe told me later it would have been just perfect to call out "The Party Boys Live!" out to Neil & Dave! I felt bad for Dave having such a huge symbol of booze in his face, but I am sure he's used to it. He did have an unlit cigarette in his mouth and Neil spoke about Noel Crombie's rule never to smoke onstage but that drinking was allowed during the days of the Enz...hmmmmmmm....oh well!

So after the show I waited to see if I could have a quick word - and that's what I did. All of a sudden Neil emerged and flew to a waiting van that was right on the cable car tracks in front of the 7th Note. I walked up to Dave, who traipsed after Neil (with his guitar case clutched in hand and a now-lit cigarette in his mouth) and I said "Hi, I'm Dyane, the one who gave you the shirt" - I didn't ask questions (like WHO does that Dobster e-mail address belong to?) or for *anything* to be signed or to take photos like some Neilers did because #1) I'm a chickenshit and more importantly #2) it was obvious that both Neil and Dave wanted to rock 'n roll outta there and a cable car DID come right behind their van and they had no choice but to run away -

I am so glad I got a chance to see him perform live and hope I will be able to again....what a gifted performer!
Dyane in Santa Cruz, CA

REVIEW of Dobbyn support slot at Neil Finn gig
14 November, 1998. 7th Note, San Francisco, USA.

By James Deaker.

Venue: For those who know the Power Station in Auckland, the 7th Note is similar in size and appearance (sell out crowd of appox 600)

We arrived right at 9pm. Dave had already started trying to "warm up" the crowd. Just him, playing an acoustic guitar.

Interesting mix of people, most who had never heard of Dave, but a few pockets of animated Kiwis who had come to see him as much (or more) than Neil.

The set was only about 7 songs long, but provided a nice balance of his "old stuff" (Loyal, Language and of course Whaling) and songs off the Islander (Mobile Home and Hallelujah Song).

No matter how many times I hear him live, I am always suprised at how long and strong he can Wail in Whaling.

The commentary between songs included discussion on San Francisco traffic (apparently they had to catch the Cable Car over the hill, because they couldn't get a cab), Meteor Showers and Clinton's address to the Veterans at Arlington. You have to give Dave that he always has an opinion...

For the last song of his set Dave had Neil Finn join him on the piano for Hallelujah Song. New to me, but a very powerful rendition. For those of us who hadn't seen him in a while it was great to see his music going from strength to strength.

Dave Joined Neil Finn for Neil's encore performances. Unfortunately, Dave was not up to the standard he had displayed earlier in the night. In the first song they played together Neil had to stop Dave in the middle of the song to get the chords straight. Later, when he was on the piano, it almost seemed that Dave was playing a different song to Neil and Grant Lee Phillips... (Musical genius at work...?)

Dave is always eccentric. His performance during the encore was very much so.

REVIEW of Dobbyn support slot at Neil Finn gig
14 November, 1998. 7th Note, San Francisco, USA.

By Katie Harrar.

Wow, Dyane's review was pretty comprehensive. I'm not sure I need to say much more about the show itself. She even got all the between-song bantering.

I thought Dave's set was outstanding. He really took command of things, played well, and sang with authority. Dave was definitely pleased at the audience response. He kept saying he was tickled pink to be there, and I don't think he was saying it to be nice.

In an introduction to Whaling he talked about the various sea creatures and he said, "...including sperm whales." Nicole nudged me and whispered, "I guess that explains that!", with a wicked nod towards my old Whaling lyric-interpretation posts! I guess I'll never live that down.

Dave was definitely loosey-goosey during Neil's set. The Quasimodo thing was hilarious. Neil looked at him with the funniest expression. We rarely get to see Neil thrown off his serious course, so it was refreshing to see Dave make him laugh. I do wonder why Dave was out there if he didn't know Neil's songs, but I didn't mind his noodling away doing his own thing. I thought it was funny. I definitely don't think he was drunk because he drank water during his own set, and I talked to him afterward (more on that) and he was totally sober. I think it's just Dave being Dave and also being nervous.

Nicole's the one who called out for Memorial Greenhouse. I didn't actually yell any requests because he'd already played my favorite song Loyal. It was a beautiful version with a nice extended guitar intro.

Despite being plonked in the head by a flying gigantic plastic bacardi bottle during Don't Dream It's Over, I luckily had my wits about me when I met Dave later...

My sister Nancy, Nicole and I were sitting in the lobby of the St. Francis hotel waiting for Grant Thomas (long story), and Dave was wandering around aimlessly--I guess waiting for a clue about what to do next. I really hate approaching performers, but I couldn't let the opportunity pass since it was only us four in the lobby Also, Peter Green (publicist for Neil and head of Finn fan club) had given Dave one of our promo cards before the show (PG to me: Dave loves it), but I wanted to show him one in person and talk about some other things. So, we called him over, and we chatted for about ten minutes.

The gist of the conversation:

He loves the Belltower. He thought I was involved in creating it and assumed I was some kind of professional in the business. (I swear the promo cards didn't look THAT good.) He asked where I was "out of" and presented me with his business card--a very cool, clear plastic card with a photo screen of Kare Kare beach on it. I asked if he took the photo and he said no and that he's not sure why it's Kare Kare on the card because he mostly hangs around Bethell's Beach! <grin>

I told him that all I did was come up with the name of the e-mail list Umm, which we all voted on. He chuckled and said it was a good name. He seemed surprised, but pleased, by all the grassroots support for him here. I asked if he would be coming back to play longer with a band, and he snorted and said, "Well, I hope so!" He has still not secured a US record distributor yet, but he's working on it.

I told him that I'd first seen his name on GW McLennan's CDs as producer. (Dave was surprised.) He said that Grant's a great friend of his. Dave prefers the first album Watershed over the second Fireboy. He seemed to imply that there was something dicey about his involvement in the second album, but I couldn't quite get what he was trying to say about it.

I also said that what I liked about The Islander was that it sounded really spontaneous. He said that that's the way they recorded it and that they cut back on a lot of overdubs. I said that it sounds like a lot of first-take vocals, and he said, " Yeah, that's right. Mostly it was just me doing a lot of shouting! [laughs] Neil had this great old telefunken micophone that sounded great in the studio."

Then he went on to talk about how his 5-year old daughter has perfect pitch "better pitch than me." He clearly adores her. I mentioned how Liam Finn sounds great too and he's only fifteen. Dave agreed and said he'll have a long career ahead of him.

Then he said he had to go call his family, said thanks for everything, and that was it.

Dave seems like a completely down-to-earth guy. He has a great sense of humor, very self-deprecating and intelligent. It was a pleasure chatting with him.

Oh, and I guess Neil's part of the show was ok...
Ciao,
Katie

REVIEW of Dobbyn support slot at Neil Finn gig
14 November, 1998. 7th Note, San Francisco, USA.

By Squid.

Well, this was my first time seeing ol DD, and maybe my "outsider's perspective" will be of interest to some. I think he came out not knowing what to expect, which is fair enough, seeing as each one of the cities Neil is playing has its own concert persona and distinct set of "audience baggage" to reckon with. (Meaning: in LA, everyone is too busy being seen to watch the show, etc.) I've always been proud of the reception a SF crowd gives an good opening act, and Saturday was no exception.

But if he was pleased at an attentive audience, he was downright tickled over a certain trio of women I like to call Katie, Nancy, and Nicole. From the second he hit the stage, they (and I, in a fit of empathetic vocalization) shrieked their bloody heads off, sang along, danced along, passed out their professional looking flyers and generally impressed the hell out of everyone around them. Katie will remember the exact quote, but at one point he said something to the effect of "this is really amazing", almost more to himself than the audience.

Personal fave DD moment was the woman (Dyane, right?) who waited til the perfect moment of silence to shout out "We're here for YOU, Dave!" His eyes were all lit up. It was sweet. He got all bashful, looked down at his guitar as if he were tuning and said, (paraphrase, sorry), "You know, Neil Finn's back there somewhere getting really angry."

Halfway through the headliner's set, he reduced Neil to helpless laughter when came out with his shirt over his head doing a Quasimodo impression, and informing us that we were all doomed. He was hilarious, and, I truly believe, the inspiration for the aging priest on 'Father Ted'. Neil had this habit of calling of referring to his opening act solely as 'Dave Dobbyn' that gave the whole event a Monty Python feel Ie: Cowardly Sir Robin...Quote of the evening from Neil, in response to DD's assertion that the giant Bacardi bottle was from Alcatraz: "Stolen from the prison bar? What the fuck are you talking about, Dave Dobbyn?"

A great evening, in many ways due to DD's contributions. He even took it like a champ when Neil stopped him mid-song to correct his chords. What a trooper. Beautiful voice, lyrics, and set all in one.

Next time though, I think the Crowdies and the Ummers should get together and decide who's bringing the telephone directories. Those two are just too damn short to be believed. There oughtta be a law.

Squid

REVIEW of Dobbyn support slot at Neil Finn gig
14 November, 1998. 7th Note, San Francisco, USA.

By Dennis Kuhn.

Okay, I'm going to endeavor to not be redundant here. Dyane's review and everyone else's additions were quite comprehensive. I'll just add my impressions as a first-time Dobbyn live show attendee (and relatively new Dobbyn fan in general--only since I joined this list a little over a year ago).

To give a little background, I'm not a big fan of the Dobbyn stuff that came out before Lament for the Numb. Admittedly, I don't have Loyal, but I have his greatest hits compilation and the only songs that really grab me are "Loyal" and maybe "Guilty" and "Stay." Also, up until The Islander, I've been unable to get any of my friends interested in him, which has surprised me. I do have lots of friends who like Neil, though. Therefore, I was going to this concert with about 10 people who either didn't know, or couldn't be bothered, about Dave.

That's why I didn't get to the 7th Note until about five minutes before show time (and also why I wasn't able to meet up with anyone, Katie & Dyane).

So I was waaaaay in the back and had to constantly jockey for a view of the extremely short performers. I put an ancient curse upon the couple in front of me who were either making out and falling against me or swaying to-and-fro and falling against me. Undaunted, I thoroughly enjoyed Dave's abbreviated set. Although he had a few moments of vocal raspiness and cracking, the audience could tell that his voice really good and it didn't detract from the show. I figure the late night before, the plane flight in and all of the other traveling was simply starting to take its toll on his health.

When he came out again to accompany Neil, I was crossing all of my fingers that they'd play "One Proud Minute," but I think I'd used up all my magic on the aforementioned curse, so no such luck. They wouldn't have heard my request from the suburbs I was in, so I didn't yell it out.

Dave definitely didn't know Neil's songs. It bothered me a little, but they had a good rapport and that made it feel more like I was watching some good friends hang out, so it was okay. One of my friends said that Neil treated Dave kind of like his eccentric "crazy Uncle." I think Dave certainly acted the part! I found it all very amusing. The one thing that Dave did during this portion of the show was sing some spectacular harmonies. I'm not sure a lot of people noticed that because he was back on the piano.

Anyway, I hung out for a little while afterward, but still didn't see anyone that I recognized (either from Umm or the stage), so I left happy after a very long show. We flew back to San Diego early the next morning.

I think my friends have a greater appreciation for Dave, too. He's not a musician in the same vein as Neil Finn, even though some of his music is similar, and I think it might just take a little time to appreciate his talents.

Umm, I guess that's it!

Dennis

REVIEW of Dobbyn support slot at Neil Finn gig
17 November, 1998. Reverb Room, Toronto, Canada.

By Nathalie Carrier.

A distant fan's dream....

I saw Dave on his North American Tour with Neil Finn last night in Toronto (that's in Canada) and I have to say it was an absolute treat!!!

I'm not a Kiwi, and have never been to NZ, but a good friend of mine (a Kiwi named Julian V.) introduced me to Dave's music, because I was a fan of the Exponents (which I discovered while in Scotland). I actually never thought I would get the opportunity to see Dave live, but last night....

Dave sang the good old tunes like Loyal, and even sang the Hallelujah Song! Dave's voice was sweeter live then it is on his discs. Not many in the crowd of 500 + had actually heard of Dave doing solo stuff, but they received him with open arms, in the true Northern Canadian way!!! The show itself was short (being the opener and all)...but it was sooooo good.

I'm VERY involved in the Music Industry in Canada seeing as my boyfriend and I both work within it! I see on average 4 shows a week, and I very seldom get the opportunity to be the fan, as I'm usally there for work...But I let it all out last night!!! I danced, I sang, and I even got to meet him. As I expected he was the nicest man! We talked about his children and how he wanted to see Niagara Falls. It was a distant fan's dream...

P.S.: Neil was good too!

REVIEW of Dobbyn support slot at Neil Finn gig
17 & 18 November, 1998. Reverb Room, Toronto, Canada.

By Robbie Berks.

I indulged myself and went to both of the Toronto Dave Dobbyn shows. Thanks for the review, Nathalie,
shame I missed you. I think there is room for another review so here goes...

The Reverb is a medium size (a few hundred people) nightclub of the black and dark variety and it has a disco ball dangling from a high ceiling. I liked the high ceiling because the extra airspace diluted the clouds of cigarette smoke a little. It was hard to get much "Bliss" so to speak, because the beer prices were astronomical. I mention this merely because I could have used a beverage or two in the aeons before Dave came on. (While we are on the subject, Dave looked sober throughout, though the other New Zealander who was on stage that night drank a glass of red wine in between songs and looked kind of...er..how shall we say...flushed, in the second show).

Dave's special guest, on both nights as it turned out, was this singer/guitarist Neil Finn. I didn't know who he was either until he played that "hey now" song at the end of his set; that got a lot of airplay in the 80's I think. Anyway, he rocked and the crowd seemed to be quite receptive to his music. Apparently he's pretty big in home-town Australia and I'll probably check out his latest CD, "Together Alone".

Still, we weren't there for the support act. We were there for our main man Dave. Woohoo! He blasted off straight away with "Language". His vocals were crisp and clear. If you have never seen Dave's show before (I hadn't) words can hardly describe how overwhelming his voice is. He hits every note with such conviction and power. A friend who came with me, and was a little sceptical beforehand of Dave (boo! hiss! sacrilege!), was won over immediately.

Before plowing into one of his new songs, "Hanging in the Wire", Dave mentioned how "...The Islander is available... for about $70,000 on import". So The Islander hasn't been released in North America yet and he hasn't even got a record deal. Then came the classic "Whaling". The call and answer sing-along of whaling fell a little flat as nobody knew what to do. It worked a bit better the second night, and I am sure if Dave had worked the audience a bit more he could have really got it going, but he kind of expected it to just happen. There wasn't really a critical mass of people who knew his stuff. Anyway, his unbelievably long "Whaaaaaaaaa....ling" convinced any last doubters in the crowd that they were in the presence of genius.

His total set was only 7 songs. After "Whaling" he played "Mobile Home", "Loyal", "Beside You" and "Hallelujah Song". "Beside You" is catchy, and has a very sweet melody to match the sentimental lyrics. I was hearing the new songs for the first time and this was the standout.

BTW: Dave said "...my website The Belltower".
My website, eh?
Sounds like you're getting pretty official there JP.

Dave graciously let his buddy Neil share the spotlight on a few songs. Dave alas played so-so lead guitar on "She Will Have Her Way", and a rocking lead on "King Tide". He moved to rhythm on "Suffer Never" and "Weather With You". His backing vocals lent a lot of power to Neil's softer voice and the chorus of Weather With You  soared. I get the feeling Dave has stronger sense of rhythm than Neil even if he may not have the melodic sense.

Unfortunately, on the second night, Dave played virtually the same set list except that "Loyal" was replaced by "Blindman's Bend". He must have known a lot of the crowd was going to be the same (Neil knew for sure) so it would have been nicer if we'd got a bit more variation. Moreover, "Blindman's Bend" is a poor choice to play for people who have never heard it before, since it isn't particularly catchy; on first listen I had difficulty discerning a hookline or chorus. In fact, one of my friends was caught snoozing at that point. (Boo! Heretic! Iconoclast!) Dave's voice cracked a little that second night too, and, while I didn't notice it myself, friends said his harmonies with Neil were a little off. Don't get me wrong, he still rocked my world. He looked tired, however, and our expectations had been raised to unreasonable levels by the first night.

Other notes from the second night.

While there is much more to tell, it is mostly details. Dave rocked, the crowd loved him, and his set was too short.

REVIEW of Dobbyn support slot at Neil Finn gig
23 November, 1998. Bowery Ballroom, New York City, USA.

By Colleen Matan.

I did indeed travel to New York over the weekend to see our friend Mr. Dobbyn. And then once I get there I decide we don't need to turn up at the club the minute the doors open, so I fix upon 8:30 as the appropriate arrival time. And, of course, once we get to the club I'm SURE that I've royally screwed up and that we've missed Dave. I mean, I know it's not feasible, but it's just...possible, and I torment and berate myself for a bit.

So I'm extremely relieved when Yosemite Sam, I mean Dave, strolls out onto the stage. Actually, with that moustache he also looks like some kind of middle-aged pixie pirate. He was wearing what we used to call in my hippie days a 'smock'. I had an especially nice one--Wedgewood blue with a blue and white floral bodice. Dave's was black and very plain.

The set list was:

Language
Hanging On A Wire
Whaling
Mobile Home
Loyal
Beside You
Blindman's Bend (with Neil on piano)
Hallelujah Song (with Neil on piano)

(was there one more? I can't remember)

Hanging On A Wire was introduced as "a song you might sing to your lover when you want some romance in the morning". Uh, OK Dave.

The crowd was definitely into Dave and paying attention. There were LOTS of people who knew who he was, which helped too. But you could see that it really touched him to play before such an attentive audience. "I've got a lump in my throat now" he said at one point. I really thought he might lose people during "Hallelujah Song" but the crowd was with him and paying attention.

He was introducing "Blindman's Bend" by saying he wrote it at the beach and how it was good to go to the beach in the morning as it was good "to start your day with something larger than yourself"--that it put things in perspective. Someone asked him which beach and he said "Bethells Beach. Just down from Kare Kare. [pretending to reach for his pocket] I have a photo. Wanna see it? Wanna see pictures of my kids?"

All of the songs went over well, but Blindman's Bend sounded just fantastic. At some point it just took off-- Dave seemed to lose himself in it and the crowd stopped focusing on Neil and went back to Dave. And it was unfortunate too because at that point the set really really began to take off and it was soon to be over. There was much sustained cheering for him and an encore (or two) was definitely what the crowd wanted. But it was not to be.

Dave reappeared for several songs with Neil later in the set, and then for a stellar "Throw Your Arms Around Me" with Neil and Mark Linotte (a.k.a. Johnny Diesel, a.k.a. Diesel). In fact, as good as Dave's playing was when he was out there alone, it sounded even better when he augmented Neil. I know-- because people keep telling me-- that Neil is a good guitarist. But, uh, Dave's better. I'm not a musician, so I can't tell you why. He just is. And his contributions are what helped elevate Neil's set. Because a straight solo acoustic show by Mr. Finn might have gotten a little, erm, dull after a bit. In fact, it was Dave's playing during "King Tide" which made me decide I might really like it after all. And this Mark Linotte guy was fantastic too, himself a wonderful guitarist. And unfortunately I don't have a set list for Neil's set so I can't tell you exactly what songs Dave turned up for. But I can tell you that I am very very VERY glad that I made the trip to see
Dave. He was worth the price of admission himself. Everything else--and it was a wondeful evening--was just icing.

My only criticism: Dave's set was TOO DAMN SHORT. And, OK, that moustache has got to go.

Dave told us we'd be able to buy The Islander soon here. The reception of the New York crowd was so enthusiastic (as I am sure it was across North America) that I'd be very surprised if Dave doesn't turn up here again sometime next year.

And that's the story of The Moustache, Pirate Davo, and The Faithful.

REVIEW of Dobbyn support slot at Neil Finn gig
23 November, 1998. Bowery Ballroom, New York City, USA.

By Carol Williams.

One of my dreams came true Monday night at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City. I finally saw Dave Dobbyn perform, something I never thought I'd ever experience, AND he performed with Neil Finn. Never in my wildest dreams ...

Being the first one in line at the venue at 3:00 paid off because at around 4:30 Dave, Neil and Mark (don't know his last name but he's a friend of Neil's and the other special guest) strolled up the street, said "hello you're here early" and went into the venue to begin the soundcheck. It was the first time I'd ever seen Dave Dobbyn, let alone right in front of me.

The soundcheck was more of a rehearsal which lasted for a good two hours. Then Neil and Mark came out, but Dave was not to be seen again until 9:00 rolled around and he started the show. Through the stampede of fans I managed to find a spot right in front of the stage, not right in front of Dave, but by the piano where Neil spends a lot of time and, well, uh, forgive me, but I ultimately was there to see young Neil.

Looking cool in all black he did 9 songs:

Language
Hanging in the Wire
Whaling
Mobine Home
Loyal
Beside You

Neil sits down at the piano causing quite a stir in the house and
accompanies Dave on the last two:

Blind Man's Bend?
Hallelujah Song (this song is incredible)

Dave was in fine voice and spirits. He commented on this being the last show and just when he was starting to get good. He told us,
"You're in for a great show, you're with the master -- and then there's Neil." Shouts from the audience - "WE LOVE YOU DAVE" got his comment, "Oh you're from the Belltower, now you'll have to go and tell everyone." He said he had a family back in NZ who he hoped was still there -- mentioned El Nino. I asked, "what's the outlook for thursday?" and he grimaced and winced in pain. He said, "No, no, no, here's someone from W-A-Y back, way, way back, to the bubonic plague." Now I ask those of you who are much more familiar with Dave. Did I insult him? Did I dredge up a painful memory? Well, he got over it and asked us to join in on Whaling which quite a few folks did. Lots of people hollered, "WE LOVE YOU DAVE." He seemed quite pleased. Once Neil joined him Neil kept saying, "So many good songs -- you people need to check out his catalog, and spread the word." Dave mentioned he might have a record deal with Sony.

He joined Neil on King Tide, She will have her way, Better Be Home Soon, Suffer Never, Weather With you, and for the finale, Throw Your Arms Around Me.

Well, I'm still in the clouds and can't wait to get The Islander.  I got a couple of pretty awful photos but they are photos nonetheless. The venue wouldn't allow flash and the lights were kept VERY dim throughout the performance.

He was a bit on the snotty side (snotty in a good way and you can get away with it if you're "A genuine New Zealand musical icon"--NZ Musician Magazine June 1998)-- I wasn't surprised because his lyrics always struck me as beautifully sarcastic and leaning towards the viscious. Anyway, Peter Green (Enz, CH and Neil fanclub manager and now it looks like he's handling Dave's fans too) handed out some little cards with gushing quotes, a silver fern, and The Belltower address -- billed as the "Unofficial Dave Dobbyn Website".

Well, now I have to set a new goal to go to NZ and see Dave there and I promise not to bring up any OLD OLD stuff he obviously would prefer not to think about, let alone sing!

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