Mike Doughty played an intimate set to a mostly seated but intensely loyal crowd at the Orpheum this past Wednesday night. In between playing requests randomly yelled at him from the crowd, he read excerpts from his just-released memoir, The Book of Drugs, intermittently espoused about his extreme dislike of anything Soul Coughing related (including any SC songs, which he flat out refused to play), and peppered it all with antidotes and answers to audience questions regarding his more than eight years on the road — among other fun subjects.
The mood was uniquely personal and at times hilarious, almost as if we were sitting on the floor of Mike's living room (or should I say tour bus?) rather than at an Ybor City concert venue. When he stopped mid-song to scold the people in the back who were talking loudly, he stated (paraphrasing), "There's people who paid good money tonight to come here and listen to music. I don't know so much about Ybor but I bet there's other places to go around here if you just want to talk and drink … [applause] … And now on to verse two."
Doughty's refreshingly brutal honesty and conversational tone made this show unlike any I've seen in a while, and was much like I'd wish more shows could be. If you're unfamiliar with Mike Doughty, click here to read CL's interview with the artist or visit his website at MikeDoughty.com.
This article appears in Feb 9-15, 2012.