The last time Dr. Dog played Tampa was Halloween '07 to a light crowd with only a few fans singing along. Though it was only a year-and-a-half ago, it was must have felt like a small lifetime for the Philly fivesome. Since then, the band has been on several "Best of" lists, put out a well-received album, '08's Fate, and eevn appeared on NPR a few times, too.
Just before midnight last night, Dr. Dog returned to the stage at Ybor City's Crowbar and played to a packed house, tearing into “The Ark” first, following it up with an excellent rendition of “The Way the Lazy Do,” then filling the room with warm melodies and three- and four-part harmonies as they performed almost all the tracks from Fate as well as a few cuts from 2005’s Easy Beat, like the grating “Fools Life.”
A guy in a dog costume replete with lab coat and stethoscope joined Dr. Dog for some dancing and clapping during “Oh No,” the the band closing the set shortly after with a haunting rendition of “The Beach” and “The Rabbit, The Bat and The Reindeer.” The crowd roused the band for a two-song encore, “Say Something” and “My Old Ways.” The show ended somewhere around 1 a.m.
Here's the complete setlist:
