Patrolled By Radar at Tom Bergin’s, 8-27-23 Concert Review

Patrolled By Radar

Summer concert music series across Los Angeles are coming to an end, though judging by the current temperature summer is still in full swing around here. Friday saw the close of the Brand Library & Art Center summer series with a great set by Eva And The Vagabond Tales, and Sunday brought to a close the Bigtop Bandstand Summer Concert Series at Tom Bergin’s, hosted by RJ Bloke (Jay Souza). For the final hurrah of the season, there was an excellent double bill, Kilo Bravo and Jay’s own band, Patrolled By Radar. Last month,, Kilo Bravo played at Mick Jagger’s 80th Birthday Stones V Beatles Bash, a special four-hour show where each artist played a Rolling Stones song, a Beatles song and an original. Kilo Bravo delivered one of that day’s best original numbers, so I was excited to see a full set by these guys. It wasn’t quite as hot yesterday as it was for that Mick Jagger show, but still hot enough to have the misters going, providing a bit of relief to folks as they arrived and grabbed spots at the various picnic tables set up under the tent.

At 5:40 p.m., Kilo Bravo took the stage. At first I thought it might be the soundcheck, and perhaps it started as such, but these guys were ready to rock right out of the gate, and that first song, “Zen,” led straight into their second song, “Somewhere In The Middle.”  Kris Butcher then told the crowd, “We have vinyl records for sale, like big CDs.” I wanted to get a record, but this Hollywood strike is dragging on long enough that now I am nervous about spending any money, so that purchase will have to wait. They played some songs from the record, as well as some new material. And they ended the set with “Don’t Count On Me,” which was the original song they played at that Mick Jagger birthday show. That song has such a great groove, and it featured a delicious jam. Their set ended at 6:32 p.m.

As Patrolled By Radar got ready to play, a dog barked in the audience. Jay told it, “Zippy, be quiet.” And it obeyed. The band then opened the set with a fun cover of “I’m A Lover Not A Fighter,” with Jay adding some good work on harmonica. The set contained a mix of covers and original material, and “I’m A Lover Not A Fighter” was followed by “Widow Next Door,” an original song from the band’s 2011 album Be Happy. The next cover was another fun choice, Billy Swan’s “I Can Help.” That was followed by “Coat Of Disappointment,” one of my favorite Patrolled By Radar songs. I’ve put it on more than one mix CD for folks, and yesterday that section where the harmonica and electric guitar work together was particularly good. During that song, someone from the audience brought up a fresh beer for Jay. That was followed by a newer song, “Where Are You Now,” which was included on the RJ Bloke album Hold Drugs Dear.

“We’re Patrolled By Radar,” Jay told the audience. “It’s important to know.” He then led the band into a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Waiting On A Friend,” which was the Stones number the band chose to play for that birthday bash. That was followed by “El Norte,” a song it’s always good to hear, and then “God Is A Scarecrow,” which Jay joked was a concept song. A cover of Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited” was next, the band delivering a solid, rocking version. “Be Happy,” the title track from the 2011 release, featured some great stuff on electric guitar. On that disc, “Be Happy” is followed by “Walking,” and so it was yesterday as well. Jay Souza is a talented songwriter, and sometimes at a bar gig like this one his lyrics might not get the attention they deserve. So when you have a moment, and can fully pay attention, check out this song (and, really, any of the others he’s written). The band then did a few more covers, starting with CCR’s “Lodi” (with Jay changing the line to “Stuck in Tom Bergin’s again” near the end), and followed by Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome” (with a slight lyric change at the very beginning) and then Cheap Trick’s “Surrender.” They wrapped up the set with “Rally,” which is probably still my favorite Patrolled By Radar song. It was included on the band’s 2014 release, Cool Your Jets. Jay joked that the chorus should go on a coffee mug. And, really, the lines “It’s not the end of the world/It’s just the end of the day” are ones that I find playing in my head fairly often. The show ended at 8:11 p.m.

Patrolled By Radar Set List

1. I’m A Lover Not A Fighter
2. Widow Next Door
3. I Can Help
4. Coat Of Disappointment
5. Where Are You Now
6. Waiting On A Friend
7. El Norte
8. God Is A Scarecrow
9. Highway 61 Revisited
10. Be Happy
11. Walking
12. Lodi
13. Kodachrome
14. Surrender
15. Rally

Here are a few photos from the show:

Kilo Bravo performing "Somewhere In The Middle"

Kilo Bravo playing "Somewhere In The Middle"

 

Kilo Bravo playing "The Tantrum"

 

Patrolled By Radar playing "Widow Next Door"

Patrolled By Radar playing "I Can Help"

 

Patrolled By Radar playing "Where Are You Now"

Tom Bergin’s is located at 840 S. Fairfax Ave. in Los Angeles, California.