Philly was the second stop of The Dismemberment Plan’s much anticipated reunion tour last Thursday and no amount of snow, ice, stress or unfinished work could have kept me from going. I’m not cool enough to say that I have been a D Plan fan since their beginnings (or even during the ten years they were together) but sometime over the last few years they popped up on my radar and it was love at first listen. So, when they announced that they would do a brief tour to support the rerelease of their legendary album Emergency & I on vinyl tickets were immediately acquired. That was some four months ago and when Thursday night came I could hardly contain my excitement.
I’m not normally a big fan of the Starlight Ballroom but it proved to be the perfect venue for D Plan and their mass of dedicated fans. To be packed in amongst a crowd of people of varying age, styles and levels of intoxication it all part of the full cult indie show experience is about. Even if you weren’t a big fan of D Plan you couldn’t help but get caught up in the energy and excitement. The moment lead singer Travis Morrison stepped up to the mic for “A Life Of Possibilities” and the band came to life with his lyrics we were off on an hour and a half ride through the best of what The Plan has to offer.
Having had entire conversations about bassist Eric Axelson’s masterful bass lines it was a whole new thing entirely to see and hear them live. His skill for playing his lines just slightly off the beat proves to be unfailingly natural. I could have easily listened to just him play. That’s not to say Morrison’s delivery as front man or Joe Easley (drums) and Jason Caddell (guitar) weren’t equally fascinating. D Plan’s music has never fallen easily into one category and after seeing Morrison maneuver through each song’s personality – carrying himself slightly different to suit the mood of each piece- and Easley smashing away in his own orbit at times it’s clear that their music is a direct reflection of the whir of intelligence, emotion and energy amongst it’s members. All my favorites were played “You Are Invited,” “What Do You Want Me To Say,” “Gyroscope” and other tracks I’d never given much ear to were give whole new character when delivered live.
At the end as most the crowd climbed on stage with the band for “The Ice Of Boston,” a well known D Plan tradition, it was clear why -beyond the incredible instrumentals and uberwitty relevant lyrics- this band has the following it does. They care about giving their fans a memorable show and know exactly how to do so. I’m beyond delighted that I got to catch the show and hope that this reunion tour expands into new album territory. But even if it doesn’t I can say I saw them and it was amazing.
Set List:
A Life of Possibilities
Ellen & Ben
If I Don’t Write
Spider In The Snow
Rusty
Memory Machine
What Do You Want Me To Say?
Pay For The Piano
Time bomb
Bra
The Other Side
Back & Forth
Do The Standing Still
Gyroscope
Gets Rich
Girl o’clock
Ok Jokes Over
The Ice Of Boston
You Are Invited
The City
That’s When The Party Started
I Love A Magician