Tuesday, November 08, 2005

I saw Dave Alvin this weekend, performing at Acoustic Music San Diego. The show was unusual for Alvin in that it was an acousic show, and even more unusual in that it was a solo performance. He seemed somewhat uneasy with the format, looking a tad nervous as he bantered with the audience while tuning up between songs ("I should probably tell you a funny story...think of your favorite funny story...yeah, that's a good one"), but this certainly didn't manifest itself in his performance. "Haley's Comet," "Wanda and Dwayne," and "Out of Control" were a few stand-out tracks, as was anything off the new album, Ashgrove. He segued effortlessly from blues to country to folk, and adapted some interesting material for the acoustic show ("This is why Chuck Berry never did acoustic shows," he explained before one adapted electric guitar solo, which still sounded damn good to me). Before playing a Blasters tune (maybe, I can't remember for sure), he mentioned driving to the venue down Adams Avenue, and passing the old Adams Avenue Theatre, where he played in the '80s with the Blasters, and noticing it stands today as a fabric store. He seemed troubled by that, and who could blame him? But I hope he didn't take that as a sign that his best days are behind him, because Saturday night showed me that Alvin is still a tremendous talent. I'm kicking myself for missing him a few months back, when the Knitters were in town.

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