BLUE DOGS
Live At The Florence Little Theater (Black River Records)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale
The Blue Dogs celebrate their 15th year with the release of this 1998 concert in the South Carolina hometown of founding Dogs Bobby Houck and Hank Futch. More than a homecoming, the show became a reunion, as a decade's worth of Blue Dogs joined in during the course of the proceedings.
Opening with an acoustic set that includes some previously unrecorded material, the show moved on to a full out electric rave up, with the quartet eventually doubling in size as former bandmates and Futch's father and brother rotated through the lineup. Fans of the band's jam-tinged southern rock will find a lot to love here, and it's also a fine introduction to the Blue Dogs' range and history for folks who are just finding out about them.
An interesting collection of covers is interspersed with a group of original tunes that deserve covering. There's first rate picking throughout, and while the relaxed atmosphere leads to the occasional lapse in lyrical precision, the band and audience alike seem to be having a great time. You likely will, too, if you choose to relive the occasion with a listen to the disc.
