Going Downtown to see Uptown (Lights)

Uptown Lights at Spaceland, Silver Lake, CA 2/19/05

Uptown Lights are:
Greg Dulli/Vocals
Scott Ford/Bass
Mathias Schneeberger/Keys
Jon Skibic/Guitar
Bobby MacIntyre/Drums

When I first heard of this concert back in early January, I rode a wave of giddiness that then crested down to apprehension in about three seconds. The Uptown Lights are Greg Dulli (lead orchestrator of the Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers) getting together some of his friends from the Twilight Singers recordings and doing a show of all R&B covers. It’s one of those too good to be true moments that made me thankful again that I live in LA. I’m not one for high hopes or expectations, but I was already pegging this concert as “Concert of the Year.” This of course made me feel like I was jinxing the whole thing. Surely I’m setting myself up for a big disappointment. By the day of the show I was hesitant to even go. Welcome to my world of anxiety.

But I went. I was able to convince myself that I couldn’t miss out on the “Concert of the Year.” And that guilt beat out my apprehension of jinxing the show. So I drove to Silver Lake in the apparent flood season in LA. Yes, I took the downpour as a sign of impending doom for the show.

Of course the show was spectacular. When Mr. Dulli stepped up to the mic and the band went into the first chords of “Get Ready” my fears were washed away. Dulli is one of those few artists that can cover a song and make it sound like it’s all his own. It’s tough to pin down highlights from the “Concert of the Year.” The opening combo of “Get Ready” and “Ain’t Nobody” was just kick start my heart badass. Being an Ohio boy I always like it when another Ohio Boy (Dulli from Cincy) pays compliment to other Ohio Boy’s (Black Keys from Akron). There wasn’t much Dulli banter this night. That can be seen as both pro or con depending on who you are. But Dulli was Dulli at his cigarette tinged howling best. I didn’t even mind risking life and limb while I hydroplaned back home to Long Beach.

A side note: I am not musically gifted no matter how much my mother tried to impose it upon me. But I'm pretty sure Bobby MacIntyre is one of best drummers I've ever seen. After going to a few Twilight Singers shows and this one.Mr. MacIntyre has garnered himself a little following among Dulli fans. The man is seriously good. I wish I could tell you why.

Uptown Lights setlist

get ready/temptations
ain't nobody/chaka khan
under tha influence (follow me)/cee-lo green
tell me what's on your mind/cyril neville
what becomes of the broken hearted/jimmy ruffin
i wanna be free/joe tex
ace of spades/o.v. wright
tell everyone/ronnie lane
stay cool/sylvio delacroix
red hot mama/funkadelic
come to mama/ann peebles
backstabbers/o'jays
i'll be around/spinners (tagged Blame Etc./Afghan Whigs at the end)
come see about me/supremes
i'll be your man/black keys
a love supreme/coltrane
please stay/marvin gaye
black is the color/nina simone
ooh la la/the faces

Pictures from the Show