The dB’s at Zebulon, 11-16-24 Concert Review

The dB's performing "Love Is For Lovers"

The dB’s are back, celebrating the re-releases of their first couple of albums, Stands For Decibels and Repercussion, with their first tour in many years. Last night they put on a fantastic show at Zebulon in Los Angeles, the first of two nights at that venue. They focused on material from those two albums, but also played some later songs. I had seen Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple play together a few times, but this was my first time seeing the full band, and it was a serious treat. It was actually a great double bill, the opening act being Vicki Peterson & John Cowsill (and, yes, for those who are immediately wondering, Peter Holsapple did come out and play a Continental Drifters song with them). The show was put on by the good folks at Wild Honey, an organization that does work for those with autism and also organizes some of the best concerts you’ll ever see in Los Angeles.

Vicki Peterson

The show was sold out, and two lines formed outside, those who purchased tickets through Wild Honey and those who did not. Those of us in the Wild Honey line were let in first, and my friend and I took our spots front and center. There were some seats toward the back, and that section actually filled up first by this generally older crowd. It was my first time at this venue, and the place had a pretty relaxed vibe, which I appreciated. At 7:41 p.m., Vicki Peterson & John Cowsill, along with Paul Allen (who played multiple instruments), took the stage. They have a new album coming out in the spring, and focused on music from that, songs by John’s brothers. They opened with “You (In My Mind),” a Cowsills song written by Bill Cowsill, and the room immediately took on a wildly joyful vibe. John then sang lead on “Vagabond,” also written by Bill Cowsill. They followed that with “A Thousand Times,” a beautiful song that for me was one of the highlights of their set. Afterward, Vicki said, “So those are some of the Bill songs that are on our upcoming album.” She then introduced a song that Barry Cowsill wrote, “Come To Me,” such a sweet song. “If you’re thinking times are bad.” Well, they certainly weren’t bad last night. Especially when they played the fun “The Fool Is The Last One To Know,” a Blue Shadows song written by Billy Cowsill and Jeffrey Hatcher. And it turns out those of us in the audience weren’t the only ones having a good time, for after that song, John said, “This is so much fun.” They then played the Action Skulls song “New House,” with Paul Allen on drums.

John Cowsill

It was after that song that Peter Holsapple joined them for a wonderful rendition of The Continental Drifters’ “Anything,” another highlight of the set. Peter played guitar, and John played harmonica on that song. If you are not familiar with The Continental Drifters, I recommend checking out the recently published book White Noise & Lightning: The Continental Drifters Story. I was not expecting any Bangles songs last night, but they followed “Anything” with “Manic Monday” (which was written by Prince), delivering a fun version. By the way, it was listed as “Big Wednesday” on the set list, and there was some joking about it being a surf song. “Anybody Here” followed, with Paul Allen somehow playing bass and drums at the same time. That song featured some absolutely beautiful vocal work. Vicki then handed out kazoos to those of us in the audience that wanted them, while John and Paul switched places, John soon starting the familiar beat of “Walk Like An Egyptian.” I saw The Bangles perform this song many years ago, and somehow this version last night was even more fun. Sure, part of it was the crowd participation with the kazoos, which added to the overall joyful vibe. It was a great way to wrap up the set. The set ended at 8:25 p.m.

"The Fight"

At 8:39 p.m., The dB’s took the stage, and without preamble, launched into “The Fight,” one of my favorite songs from the band’s first album. To my thinking, there was no better way to start the set. The song has such a great energy, and is undeniably catchy and fun. With hardly a pause, they followed that with “Cycles Per Second,” another gem from that debut album. I loved watching Chris Stamey during this song, the way he shook his head during certain sections. By the way, in addition to the four original members, the night featured the keyboard work of Wes Lachot. It was after “Cycles Per Second” that Peter Holsapple thanked everyone for coming out, and thanked Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill for opening. Chris switched guitars, and they went into “Big Brown Eyes,” a crowd favorite. I especially loved Gene Holder’s bass line on this one. The first song of the night not from the band’s debut was “Before We Were Born,” which comes from the group’s excellent 2012 release, Falling Off The Sky, and is one of my favorite tracks from that disc. They followed that with another song from Falling Off The Sky, “That Time Is Gone,” the lead track from that album. At one point during that song, the lights went out and the band kept playing. “Wake up, wake up.” The lights were soon back on. The band then returned to the first album for “She’s Not Worried.”

"Ask For Jill"

They then dipped into the second album, Repercussion, starting with “Living A Lie,” another of the set’s highlights. “All right, this is about as retro as you can get,” Chris said in introducing “Ask For Jill,” also from Repercussion. For the lines that are the one side of the phone conversation that we get near the end of the song, Chris held up sheets of papers with those lyrics, which was kind of adorable.  Chris then switched guitars again for “Lonely Is (As Lonely Does),” a song from the band’s third album, Like This, and one that featured Will Rigby on backing vocals. Chris once again switched guitars for “Happenstance,” and delivered some excellent guitar work. This was another of my favorites. “Think for yourself.” Peter then asked the audience, “Are you ready?” And the band went into “Love Is For Lovers.” The crowd was excited to hear it, no one more so than the woman next to me. Apparently, “Love Is For Lovers” was her wedding song (and during the encore, she actually asked Peter Holsapple to play it again). After that song, Peter took a moment to thank Wild Honey and Paul Rock in particular.

"Neverland"

 

“From A Window To A Screen” was yet another highlight of the set, in part because of the wonderful harmonies, but also because of Peter’s guitar work. Peter then introduced the band, saying that Gene Holder is on bass “where he belongs” and Will Rigby is on drums “where he belongs.” Will then kicked the next song into action on drums. “I’m In Love” had a tremendous energy, and Chris played a short bit on harmonica during it. “Neverland” followed, and Chris finally took off his jacket. It was a cold night, but a hot room. They followed “Neverland” with “Dynamite,” a song from the first album, and one whose vocal work I’ve always loved. And then we got “Amplifier,” one of the band’s coolest songs. If you haven’t heard it, you should make a point of checking it out. The lyrics might surprise you. They delivered a fantastic rendition last night, featuring some great stuff by Wes on keys. The dB’s wrapped up the set with “Black And White,” perhaps the band’s most popular song. It was a whole lot of fun last night, with a delicious energy. The crowd, by the way, was totally into the show from beginning to end, and not at all shy about shouting things out and interacting with the band.

"My Little Red Book"

Moments later The dB’s returned to the stage for the encore. There were shouts for “Bad Reputation” from several people in the audience, but the band started the encore with “We Were Happy There.” “It was a long, long time ago.” Yes, maybe it was, but these guys still have the spark, the energy, the joy. Nothing seems diminished, and I hope they will perform together more often. “We Were Happy There” was followed by another of the show’s treats, a cover of “My Little Red Book,” with Will on lead vocals. This was great fun. In introducing “In Spain,” Peter said it was dedicated to David and Michael, who requested it. After that song, Peter told the crowd, “We’ve got one more, then we’re going to turn it over to Gloria Gaynor,” referring to the fact that another event was scheduled at the venue after the show, a DJ playing dance songs. That final song was “(I Thought) You Wanted To Know,” taking us back to the band’s earliest days. This song was released as a single in 1978 under the name Chris Stamey And The dB’s. What a great way to conclude the show, which ended at precisely 10 p.m.

The dB’s Set List

1. The Fight
2. Cycles Per Second
3. Big Brown Eyes
4. Before We Were Born
5. That Time Is Gone
6. She’s Not Worried
7. Living A Lie
8. Ask For Jill
9. Lonely Is (As Lonely Does)
10. Happenstance
11. Love Is For Lovers
12. From A Window To A Screen
13. I’m In Love
14. Neverland
15. Dynamite
16. Amplifier
17. Black And White

Encore

1. We Were Happy There
2. My Little Red Book
3. In Spain
4. (I Thought) You Wanted To Know

"The Fight"

"Cycles Per Second"

"Big Brown Eyes"

"Before We Were Born"

"She's Not Worried"

"She's Not Worried"

"Living A Lie"

"Lonely Is (As Lonely Does)"

Zebulon is located at 2478 Fletcher Dr., in Los Angeles, California. The dB’s are playing there again tonight.