Back on the wagon

This Cinco de Mayo-themed affair followed a rare two-week break from touring for the Jersey boys, and kick-started a hectic run of bookings. The Dogs had just hit up the Rockies for ten shows in Colorado before their Cali debut, and returned to the Midwest for a quick jaunt prior to a six-show slate in the Southeast. While May '23 wasn't as busy as March '23, this one still marks the Dogs' first of eight gigs in ten days across seven states—the final stretch run in advance of their first international shows in Reykjavík.

Central Stage is a relatively new 140-cap room and bar in the Mound City. It opened in '22 and sits just around the corner from the Fab Fox in StL's Grand Center Arts District—site of a handful of legendary Dead and SCI shows. It wasn't their first time at the venue (6/5/22), but it's the first we have on tape. 

I spun this show fairly regularly during May '23—I was desperate for more Dogs after catching seven shows in Colorado. It fell out of my listening rotation towards the end of the year as the band continued improving. Like a handful of Spring '23 shows, including the following night, this one can be a struggle to revisit due to the mix—it's occasionally difficult to pick out Brian and Sam's vox over the rest of the band. That said, this show still contains mandatory listening material, and pairs well with 5/6. It clocks in just under three hours of stage time, and, by all accounts, there was no opening act.

First Set. The show opens with a one-of-a-kind Ghost Riders in the Sky jam, separated from its then-usual pairing with Bent Strange or Craig&Pat. It's a prodigious iteration—one I regularly return to when the moment strikes—and falls into a strong Frosty (check Jimmy's solo). The next few tunes are average, but the heat returns for Help>Slip. The latter ventures between funky and spooky before its big finish, and you can hear the crowd roar in approval at what they just witnessed. After 10 seconds of dead air, they stir up Bubble with an atypical introductory jam. The ensuing EDM Song and return to Bubble cap off a solid set. 7/10

Second Set. The first piece of a massive C&P sandwich kicks off set 2, and Brian samples GRITS again before a delectable transition culminates in an exceptional Writing on the Wall that turns out just right. The next tunes make sense for the holiday, but the audience misses the clap cues in S4S. Sam shouts out Henry (you know who you are) ahead of the ensuing Spun, which sandwiches El Sonidito—another great choice for Cinco de Mayo—and ends with Trunk Rum, beginning a sequence of four straight drinking songs. An average Rum&Roses is the best of the bunch (it's no 9/9), but the C&P finale brought back the energy in advance of a hauntingly beautiful No Quarter. 5/10.

Overall: ★★★

Highlights:



Ghost Riders In The Sky Jam - best version so far

Frosty - Jimmy's ice-cold solo

Slipknot! - well-traveled

Bubble - unique introduction

Writing on the Wall - especially the transition from Craig & Pat

No Quarter - haunting



Sources: Vox issues aside, the soundboard does the job. It's a shame that no one taped the show—a matrix would be welcome.