Detroit Cobras

[chaz]

Originally posted by BookerT:
  do stringy-haired 46-year-old dudes in gories shirts qualify as hipsters now? because that's who usually makes up a lot of the crowd at garage rock shows at iota.

Ha!  Yeah these shows lean heavy toward the record-geek type, with the emphasis on geek.  My peeps.

[kosmo vinyl]

Yeah finally got a chance to enjoy a full Detroit Cobras set! Dig them crazy covers, start to finish.   Even body parts not typically seen in movement where in motion.
 
 The Reigning Sound's guitarist did double duty as the Cobras latest band member.  Enjoyed their set too... Even they played some crazy covers.
 
 The show of course prompts the question... Which forum member is most likely to get naked at a concert.  And if indeed it was a forum member, who went a further than his underwear, sorry for the exposure.

[ccperkdog]

Okay so I am going to have to rate the show as "okay". First the opening act Reigning Sound totally rocked. Greg Cartwright had tons of energy and got the crowd rolling. Thought the song "Drowning" was great. He reappeared on stage with the Cobras and still had some left.
 
 Now for the Detroit Cobras...I don't know if it was a Monday and the crowd was just tired from the weekend (and maybe the Foos the night before) but the band just got off on the wrong vibe at first with the audience. I could say it is just the type of crowd you get at Iota and that the Cobras would have been better suited at say the Black Cat, anyways...things started slow, but the crowd warmed and got energized after some direct prodding by lead singer Rachel Nagy. At the end it seemed like the crowd was ready for more but the band just didn't have it in them for a second encore (third set?) Anyways...random observations...we had one guy get naked up front...I think that Maribel Restrepo just rocked on guitar, fun to watch...what was with the guy ripping on Rachel's shirt, offending the band is never a good idea...I wonder how many people showed up because they first heard about the Cobras through this post? Kind of odd to have a full house/sellout at Iota on a Monday night. Maybe that was the reason for the mild response from the audience at first, like they didn't know what to expect. Anyhow..I left thinking good show, but not epic.

[kosmo vinyl]

Wasn't expecting an epic, just some great straight ahead rock. It kinda of felt like a party crashed at the wrong house at the beginning.  There was more shimmying and shaking on display then at most DC shows, but obviously the Detroit Cobras have seen more engerized audiences.  The layout of Iota is not real conducive for movin' and groovin'. That wall in the center means the people in the back are craning to get a good view of the band and there isn't a whole of room up front when people get packed in.
 
 It also didn't help that once the band setup it was almost as someone had to wake up the lead singer in the van for the set.  She then proceed to fiddle with her hair, get that first cigarette lit, and get a beverage.  
 
 Regardless, based on the warm response to the bands early material there were plenty of fans on hand.  Shame the show wasn't in Baltimore, at least they know how to party there  

[ccperkdog]

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
  Wasn't expecting an epic, just some great straight ahead rock. It kinda of felt like a party crashed at the wrong house at the beginning.  There was more shimmying and shaking on display then at most DC shows, but obviously the Detroit Cobras have seen more engerized audiences.  The layout of Iota is not real conducive for movin' and groovin'. That wall in the center means the people in the back are craning to get a good view of the band and there isn't a whole of room up front when people get packed in.
 
 It also didn't help that once the band setup it was almost as someone had to wake up the lead singer in the van for the set.  She then proceed to fiddle with her hair, get that first cigarette lit, and get a beverage.  
 
 Regardless, based on the warm response to the bands early material there were plenty of fans on hand.  Shame the show wasn't in Baltimore, at least they know how to party there      

That is so funny because during the middle of the opening act I cut out the back exit to put my jacket in my car and noticed some of the DCs hanging out/sleeping in a van in the alley.

[ggw]

Great fun for a Monday night.  
 
 I missed Reigning Sounds and almost got shut out altogether, but I guess enough people left before the Cobras started.  As Kosmo pointed out, you don't usually see that many people moving at a show in DC.
 
 You don't usually see an audience member get naked either.

[BookerT]

i thought i had unreasonably high expectations for the reigning sound, but they certainly delivered. damn, that was fun. greg cartwright's got sooooooul. what a voice. i usually like a little smirkiness in my music, often because i think it's really hard to pull off straight-ahead rock greatness, but that's what the reigning sound did. when he would start convulsing while playing and singing, there was nothing ironic about that. just the spirit of rock and roll rising up inside. they went on exceptionally early (a little before 845) and played for a full hour with a three-song encore. great stuff.
 
 record geek crowd was in full effect. greg was introducing one song as the first single from eric carmen's pre-raspberries band (faith + 1, was it?) and some dude from the crowd shouted out the title. greg was like, oh wow, someone knows that tune, well done. and the dude shouts back, "i paid a hundred dollars for that record!" very funny.
 
 even though greg was playing guitar for detroit cobras, i decided to bail before they went on. i got my $15 worth, and given the super-crowdedness and my general "meh" feelings towards the cobras, i decided to jet. i missed a naked dude? damn. but i didn't miss albert pujols's three-run home run. that was quite dramatic.

[mrpee]

Well, yeah, but all y'all missed the best show going on last night: John Vanderslice at the Black Cat. Y'all did. Miss it.