John Doe

Even a nasty cold couldn't keep the great John Doe from turning out a wonderful show at the High Dive in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood. Doe humbly told the capacity crowd that he was pretty sick, should have canceled and if anyone wanted their money back that the club would probably oblige. No one gave two sh*ts about the occasional voice-cracking -- it only added to the real-time enjoyment of the live performance. A few sips of whiskey and an offstage nose-blow had the crowd with him all the way. It was fantastic to see John Doe in an intimate venue all by himself. He was friendly and chatty with the crowd, keeping his signature charm with him throughout his set and three encore songs. Delightful.

Arrived in Ohio, from LA, just in time to catch the show. And, what an AWESOME show it was - intimate and magical!! The band had great energy and John Doe's voice and stage presence was "right on the mark". The female singer's voice is beautiful and she brightened the stage with her smile and pretty dress!! I hope their tour is a huge success for them and I hope to catch another show when they make their way to California. THANK YOU JOHN DOE, female vocalist, Jessie and the rest of the band for a MAGNIFICENT MONDAY!!

Awesome! Lone Monday night, not a lot of pre advertising that John Doe was in town. Crowd was small is size though large in heart to appreciate great music. John Doe and his band were awesome! Set cumulated in 4th of July - great song John Doe hung out at merc table, talked to people, pictures, and autographs

Excellent show with a disappointing fan turn out. John Doe covered both solo material and X tunes.

I just saw a fekking AMAZING rock show at the Brighton Music Hall last night by JOHN DOE and his band. This was a solid, straight-ahead roots/rock show for 90:00 by a veteran musician who has, despite his 38+ years playing live and releasing albums under his own name, (and the band X, and the Knitters, and duets with his ex-wife, Exene Cervenka, and even a collaboration with the Sadies), still only drew a handful of people to this midsized club. A crying shame, given the extraordinary music on display. It might have been that schools are out, and Summer isn't going yet, but I still felt bad (compared to the overly sold out show by First Aid Kit last week. A good and fun band, but not even in Doe's stratosphere, talent-wise. John is a man of several different musical personalities - he can play guitar and sing first-rate rock material as he still does in a longstanding LA-based punk band like X, an experimental and adventurous country/punk band like the Knitters (along with many old friends), or play with an alt.country band like the Sadies, or just perform his own staggeringly impressive material under his own name....and it ALL works, because he is a great songwriter, an impressive electric and acoustic guitarist.....BUT, it's his gorgeous VOICE that, above all, sends everyone home happy. His voice is such an amazingly flexible and rich instrument, and he makes it fit whatever material he is performing. A rare gift these days. in fact, I would say he is one of the under-appreciated singers in all of contemporary music (and I say this a day after seeing two other pretty good ones, Alison Krauss and a guy by the name of Willie Nelson). Ok, the show. John ran through as much as possible of his enormous catalog, and promised not to talk very much because the previous night (in NYC), he 'said everything I want to say'...that means more songs tonight'. Huge roar, and he wasn't kidding. He would play several songs in a row without seeming to take a breath, including gems like 'Telephone By the Bed', 'Highway 5', 'Never Enough', ' Worried Brow', and 'Grain of Salt' among MANY others. And he either wrote or co-wrote every song he played. Nuff' said. Such a huge talent. His writing collaborators include people like Dave Alvin, Aimee Mann, Grant Lee Phillips, and Kathleen Edwards. But the live show's pulse was John's exquisite singing, often sung in harmony with a talented young woman whose name I never caught, but who closely approximated Exene's vocal quality and register so closely, it was positively eerie! Just wonderful, fun and emotionally satisfying music by a veteran of the California rock scene (much like the Blasters), and who has just released a CD called 'The Best of John Doe...This Far', a 24 track collection covering his entire, storied career. A good place to start if you want to hit the ground running. Just as a side note. John is (among his talents), a very good looking man (he's 61, scarily close to another good looking man writing this), and his face has also served him well in his attempts to become a TV and film actor. He has appeared in MANY small, independent films with small audiences, as well as some TV shows I do not know. So, to call him multi-talented is a vast understatement. And with a name like John Doe...!

John Doe is a seasoned Pro that has paid is due and did not disappoint!! Still rockin' it 30 yrs in, fun and personable. Great show!

This was my first "Twangfest', and I have not felt music and the energy like this in years. I come from the Chicago area, and I would match up the music scene here with anything the Windy City has. The Duck Room was alive, people were so ready to rock and support music that deserves better than it gets from mainstream radio. Rough Shop showed newcomers like myself that local music is alive and well, an excellent set (loved the uptempo stuff), I fell in love with Zoe Muth (bought a CD) and had the chance to meet and greet...very open and honest, her band was a perfect complement to her voice which was in tune and on time (w/o use of pitch control) an heir apparent to Emmy Lou Harris. Kevin Gordon's songs are passion, pure and simple, and the bass player and guitarist were standout musicians. John Doe did so much more with less, a mostly acoustic set with only female accompaniment and a great sense of how to use songs to tell stories. All in all, a memorable night for me. I cannot wait for " T-17' in 2013.

The opening acts were better than I expected. John Doe was great, as usual. I think he got irritated at people yellin' out "White Girl" though. He probably gets that a lot. I asked him to play an Old Timey song that he recorded with the Knitters and he played it for his encore. That was good. His set was way too short if you asked me, but it was all good.

What a treat! I don't know how John Doe can be on the road so much and still have a voice like butter plus keep that childish sense of fun. The Sadies were a welcome surprise for us and a terrific compliment to the show. Their live show exceeded our expectations from hearing their CD. With John Doe's destinctive experience and the Sadie's (Mike Belitsky, Sean Dean, Dallas and Travis Good) musicianship, they've found a teaming that clicks. Great choice of classic country standards that lent well to John's mornful vocals, plus they put a new spin on some old X, Sadies, and Knitter's tunes. I've seen John play venues from coffee houses to concert halls, and he does it all with the same grace, professionalism, showmanship, and humor. Sadies are smart to learn from a master. Great show.

Awesome acoustic set by half of X - what a treat. Exene and John songs from the Knitters, solo material and, of course, X. My friend on the west coast has the pleasure of seeing these two quite often so I am grateful they made it east!

Nice opening act, very comfortable, laid-back atmosphere. Forgot to keep in mind that there was also a Red Sox game going on, which made the trip there all but unbearable.

Started out a little slow. He was pretty sick and offered our money back if we wished. Almost left since his voice just was not there at first. Decided to stick it out and that was the best decision of the night. Took him a couple songs and he was back to being John Doe ! A little raspy but his heart was totally in to it. Glad we did not miss this one !

John Doe at the High Dive (Seattle) was great--soulful and sweet and down to earth, even with what he said was a miserable cold.