Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Ventura, CA was treated to a night with two of the best psychedelic rock bands around today, The Black Angels and The Dandy Warhols. They announced The West Coast Tour 2023 with Daiistar opening the first half and Queen Kwong finishing the tour. The Majestic Ventura Theater was packed throughout the night on this Friday the 13th with everyone smiling and having a good time.
Queen Kwong (Carré Kwong Callaway) put on a one woman show and didn’t hold back. She mentioned after her second song that it was weird being up on stage by herself without her band, but the crowd cheered her on and supported her immensely. She had a keyboard and sound mixer up on stage with her and created some beats while she played guitar over the supporting sounds. Her intense energy at certain points of the songs transferred to the audience and everyone’s attention was focused on her. At one point she was on her knees like Hendrix shredding on her axe using the whammy bar to create sounds that were eye opening. Even though she was up there by herself on this night she rocked everyone’s socks off and gave a performance that will be remembered for some time.
Portland, Oregon’s very own psychedelic alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols played next and everyone was ready. They started the set with “Be-In”, the opening track off of their major label debut album The Dandy Warhols Come Down, and the packed venue was singing along with Courtney Taylor-Taylor and moving to the music. The fun upbeat song “Ride” from their debut album Dandys Rule OK was next followed by “Crack Cocain Rager” off The Black Album, which saw Zia McCabe having a blast with her tambourine. “Plan A” from 2003s Welcome To The Monkey House and “Be Alright” from 2019s Why You So Crazy followed and the positive energy and good vibes were growing throughout. Drummer Brent DeBoer started their latest single, which was released on this Friday the 13th, “The Summer Of Hate” and it was an instant favorite of the night. The Dandy Warhols have done it again with this catchy single that keeps you dancing the entire time. We can only hope more new music is on the horizon and possibly another album in the works. “I Love You” and “Good Morning”, both from The Dandy Warhols Come Down blended together perfectly and was a good mellow point of the set.
The huge hit single “Bohemian Like You” off of the epic album Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia was next and everyone sang along. “Godless” from the same album followed and you could recognize Peter Holmström’s guitar sound right away. A huge disco ball hangs in the Majestic Ventura Theater and during “Godless” it was illuminated and the entire theater sparkled and shined. What a surreal moment with a perfect soundtrack. They closed out the night with “Pete International Airport” and “Boys Better”, both from The Dandy Warhols Come Down and the Ventura faithful loved every second of it. This band keeps getting better like fine wine, especially live. Make sure you see them next time they announce a tour!
The Black Angels headlined the night and wasted no time diving straight into “El Jardin” from their latest album Wilderness of Mirrors, which was released in September of 2022, while the colors and movements from the lights and projectors took the audience to another state of mind. Lead singer Alex Maas sounded amazing as they went into “Yellow Elevator #2” off of 2010’s Phosphene Dream and it felt like you were at a show from the 1970s living it up. The rocking track “Black Grease” from their debut album Passover followed and had the crowd moving to the beat. This modern classic rock sound the band has produced over the years keeps getting better with each album and hearing their material live is an experience everyone should participate in.
It’s amazing to watch these musicians switch instruments for different songs. Singer Alex also plays keyboards and bass guitar; Ramiro Verdooren plays keyboards, bass, and guitar; Christian Bland on guitar and organ; Jake Garcia on guitar and the keys; and Stephanie Bailey kickin’ it on the drums and tambourine. The talent that this band holds is unreal and something to witness. A healthy dose of five more tracks from their latest released was next “The River”, “History of the Future”, “Vermillion Eyes”, “Without a Trace”, and “Make It Known”. The projections of color and shapes throughout the set takes their live show to another level and enhances the experience for all. “Death March”, off of 2017’s Death Song, had you flying through the multiverse whether your eyes were open or closed. The pure trip that these tracks take you on is surreal and mind bending. Two more songs from Phosphene Dream followed, “Haunting at 1300 McKinley” and “Bad Vibrations”, and then back to their new album for the tracks “A Walk on the Outside” and “Firefly”. “Deer-Ree-Shee” off of their sophomore album Directions To See A Ghost was a fun surprise since they used a sitar on the track which put another layer of sound on the song that made it unique.
The next two songs are from their debut album, 2006’s Passover, the opening track “Young Men Dead” and the second to last song on the album “Bloodhounds On My Trail”. The seventeenth and final song of the night was “Empires Falling”, the third track from their latest album, and they finished the night off with a bang. The Black Angels keep making mind bending music while pushing the envelope and we can only hope they’ll be playing live again soon. You’ll be missing out if you don’t experience their live show!
Queen Kwong
The Dandy Warhols
Setlist:
Be-In
Ride
Crack Cocaine Rager
Plan A
Be Alright
The Summer Of Hate
I Love You
Good Morning
Arpeggio Adaggio
Bohemian Like You
Godless
Pete International Airport
Boys Better
The Black Angels
Setlist:
El Jardin
Yellow Elevator #2
Black Grease
The River
History of the Future
Vermillion Eyes
Without a Trace
Make It Known
Death March
Haunting at 1300 McKinley
Bad Vibrations
A Walk on the Outside
Firefly
Deer-Ree-Shee
Young Men Dead
Bloodhounds on My Trail
Empires Falling
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