Photos by Tom Bogus
Review by Debbie Steir
Concert Galleries: Dope, Flaw, Motograter
It has been a seven year-long wait for U.S. fans of “Dope” for a tour. Well, that wait is finally over. Dope’s whirlwind 48-date North American “Die Motherfucker Die Reunion Tour 2016” began on September 13th and closes on October 30th at L.A.’s infamous “The Whiskey”. This tour is preceding the release of their much anticipated album “Blood Money” set for release on October 28, 2016. Also playing on this date were “Flaw” and “Motorgrater” who each have new albums as well – “Divided We Fall ( release date 8/19/2016) and “Desolation” (release date beginning of 2017), respectively.
“Motograter” in their signature black and white tribal paint played a selection of nine tracks from their self-titled debut album, “Motorgrater” (2003), as well as “Parasite” and “Portrait of Decay”, two tracks from the aforementioned “Desolation”. “Flaw” followed playing a nice mix of tracks from “Divided We Fall” along with tracks from their earlier works. Both bands delivered nice solid performances and were definite crowd pleasers with many fans in attendance.
“Dope” delivered a non-stop high energy performance. Much to the crowd’s surprise rather than playing one or two new tracks from their upcoming album, the set list consisted of their earlier works. Opening with “Violence” (“No Regrets”-2009) Edsel, Acey, Virus and Racci kept the audience wanting more. When Edsel said “everybody jump”, their fans said “how high?”. With lighted screens as a backdrop displaying images and song lyrics the songs came one after another without pause. Virus and Acey moved and jumped around the entire stage artfully engaging the audience while Edsel kept fueling the fire. When it was finally time to bring the show to a close, rather than the usual hanging encore, Edsel told the crowd they were playing their final song and that was it so don’t ask for more. Little did anyone know the “final” song consisted of 5 or 6 songs ultimately making “FTP” the absolute finale of the show. What a way to close.
Dope has probably never been or probably never will be described as captivating or charming. I found them to be this and more. Edsel Dope, Virus, Acey Slade and Racci Shay are true professionals and humble musicians. They may consider themselves a club-level act but after having had this opportunity to see them perform and interact with their fans they are nothing short of a true class act. So worth the wait . . .
Set List:
1. Violence
2. Debonair
3. Everything Suxs
4. Pig Society
5. Spin Me Round
6. Take Your Best Shot
7. Now/What About
8. Stop
9. Bitch
10. Bring it On
11. Motivation
12. Survive
13. No Way Out
14. Addiction
15. Rebel Yell
16. Die Motherfucker Die
17. I’m Back
18. Sick
19. Burn
20. FTP
Dope at the Sherman Theater – Stroudsburg, PA
