Dr. Frank live in Aachen
Just three months after I had seen Dr. Frank in Baltimore, he came to Europe for a string of acoustic gigs. The last show of the tour took place at the Autonomes Zentrum in Aachen, a former bunker located beneath the train station. There were about 40 people, few enough to allow Kepi Ghoulie play the first couple of songs unplugged. His music combined classic Bob Dylan and Rolling Stones vibes with a vivid punk rock spirit. His performance was certainly entertaining and enjoyable.
I usually prefer artists who don’t stick to a static setlist during a tour. Now last night was very much a dynamic event. It helped that the concert felt a bit like a living room show due to its size. Consequently, Dr. Frank’s set was filled with surprises and requests. (I got to hear “Will You Still Love Me When I Don’t Love You?”!) All those great rocking songs from the Mr. T Experience worked very well in an acoustic setting. For once, you could hear all the lyrics perfectly. Did anyone ever award some prize to Dr. Frank for the most clever and wry punk rock lyrics? Why not? What do you mean, there’s no Nobel Punk Prize? Anyway, the show was great and the mood was relaxed. There were so many amazing songs! I feel compelled to list some titles, because they remind me of the fun I had during the gig: “You’re the Only One”, “Swiss Army Girlfriend”, “Jill”, “Sackcloth and Ashes”, “Swallow Everything”! The lack of recognition from mainstream music fans breaks my heart. And yet I’m totally happy that I got to experience this concert close up. The next time Dr. Frank comes to town (or as in my case to a town that’s a three-hour drive away) you better go see him!
- How’d the Date End
- I Wrote a Book About Rock and Roll
- You Today
- My Name Is Morgan (But It Ain’t J.P.)
- More Than Toast
- Mr. Ramones
- You’re the Only One
- Swiss Army Girlfriend
- ???
- Fucked Up on Life
- Now That You Are Gone
- Even Hitler Had a Girlfriend
- Jill
- Will You Still Love Me When I Don’t Love You?
- Sackcloth and Ashes
- She Turned Out to Be Crazy
- Swallow Everything
Arjan:
Hey Johannes, thanks for the review of this gig. I was the other dude standing on your left and singing along just like you did ;) :). If you want to see some videos of this show (I mean, ALL the videos), check my YouTube channel: youtube.com/ihearttheweakerthans. There you will also find the videos from two other Dr. Frank / Kepi shows. They are better quality, because in Aachen I didn’t really care for what the videos would look like. I just danced and sang along and held my camera up, without looking at the screen. Anyways, enjoy!
6 October 2012, 7:01 pm