Patrolled By Radar at Three Clubs, 4-1-15 Concert Review

"Widow Next Door"

I have been enjoying Patrolled By Radar for several years now, and am always happy when I get the chance to see them in concert. They did a really cool set last night at Three Clubs, as part of that venue’s Howling Rooster Show, which happens the first Wednesday of every month. Patrolled By Radar took the stage just after 10:30 p.m., and after the briefest of soundchecks kicked off the set with “Widow Next Door,” the opening track from their 2011 release, Be Happy. They followed that with “Lost Cause,” an excellent tune from their latest release, last year’s Cool Your Jets. I love the energy of this song, and the lines, “Anybody can sing/Sing a hallelujah.”

But perhaps my favorite song of theirs is “Rally,” also from Cool Your Jets. Near the beginning Jay sings, “Have you ever wanted to know/how to get out of here?” Those lines always strike a chord with me, but it is these lines that really make me love this tune: “It's not the end of the world/It's just the end of the day.” Nice, eh? Then Jay strapped on the harmonica for “Coat Of Disappointment,” blowing into it for a moment before the tune, then joking, “That’s it.”

Patrolled By Radar did a couple of excellent covers last night, including “I’m A Lover Not A Fighter,” a song most famously done by The Kinks. I think this was the first time I’d heard Patrolled By Radar cover this one, and they did a great job with it. They also did The Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody,” turning it into an early Rolling Stones-type bluesy rock number, which totally works.

There wasn’t a whole lot of stage banter during their set, but Jay did dedicate “Be Happy” to a guy standing at the bar, telling him he detected a hint of sadness in him even though he was gregarious. And then after that song, Jay asked him, “Do you feel better?”

It’s always good to hear something new from the band, and last night they played a relatively new tune titled “Born Thirsty,” which I liked immediately. They ended the set with “This Is Not The Blues,” which featured some great guitar work by Bosco.

Set List

1. Widow Next Door
2. Lost Cause
3. Rally
4. Coat Of Disappointment
5. Fast Life Slow Death
6. I’m A Lover Not A Fighter
7. Died With Money
8. To Love Somebody
9. Born Thirsty
10. Be Happy
11. This Is Not The Blues 

Here are a few photos from their set:

"Coat Of Disappointment"

"Fast Life Slow Death"

"To Love Somebody"