(live photo by Coburn Dukehart)
A band that was monumentally important to a (relatively) small number of people (including me), The Dismemberment Plan released four albums over ten years, splitting up amiably in 2003. It's never easy to tell how a band will be remembered, but in just four years, it feels like the band's reputation has swelled: Two reunion shows at the Black Cat in their hometown of Washington, D.C. sold out in minutes.
Why get back together so soon? Like many smart-rocking bands of the '90s, The Dismemberment Plan were encouraged by J. Robbins (singer-guitarist of Jawbox and Burning Airlines, producer of too many bands to count), and when Robbins' son was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, they were one of the dozens of bands to raise a helping hand.
Dismemberment Plan concerts were always intensely joyous affairs, and April 27-28, 2007 felt like a time bridge to 2001, with the band as sinewy, playful, and tight as ever, and a crowd of kids ready to freak out–maybe moreso knowing that this would probably be the last time: It doesn't look like this reunion will lead to anything more.
But what a pair of nights it was, filled with surprising memories of just how great the band's songs are–and how much more power they gained live. From early ("Do The Standing Still," "Onward Fat Girl") to later ("Pay For The Piano," "You Are Invited"), they delivered 'em all with incredible energy and joie de vivre.
Are you an old fan who couldn't make it and want to nerd out on the set list? See below. (It doesn't include the encores, which of course featured a stage-invasion-heavy version of "The Ice Of Boston.") Are you a D-Plan neophyte? Lots of free MP3s can be had at dismembermentplan.com.
Find out more about Callum Robbins and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (and donate!) here: Cal Robbins Fund.