Last Night: The Dodos at Bimbo's 365 Club

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By Anna McCarthy in Last Night

Fri., Oct. 30 2009 @ 10:43AM

Joseph Schell

The Dodos

Bimbo's 365 Club

October 29, 2009

Better Than: hunting for dodos.

The Dodos could have played last night's show with their eyes closed -- as was proven when the stage lights at Bimbo's 365 Club went out mid-set, leaving a sea of San Francisco's youngest hipsters swaying in darkness. On stage, lead vocalist and guitarist Meric Long meticulously picked out a new song from the band's most recent album, Time to Die, but all the crowd could see were flashes of green, blue, and red -- lights that band members had attached to their fingers.

Stage lights were up for the rest of the show, revealing that the band's tight live sound comes from more than just musical talent -- it comes from a tireless focus and some serious high-endurance aerobic conditioning. The stage was slick with the band's sweat by song two. It's no wonder then that the Dodos were happy to be home: "This is the last show of our tour, so we're really fucking happy to see you," said Long. The sold-out crowd cheered loudly in response.

Joseph Schell

Meric Long

The Dodos mostly played songs from their new album, which are all more than four minutes long, and nearly all driven by Long's frantic, complex picking and quick rhythmic changes fueled by drummer Logan Kroeber. Kroeber pounded out the continuous rolling beats on his bass-less set while stomping along on the tambourine duct-taped to his foot. As if his percussion energy weren't enough, vibraphone player Keaton Snyder often picked up the sticks to pound away at his own set, drumming with one hand while tapping out melodies on his vibes with the other.

Joseph Schell

The Ruby Suns Amee Robinson with Dodos drummer Logan Kroeber.

Songs that seem to drag on Time to Die took on new life in their live performance. Long sings and plays with his full body, crouched over his instrument with sweat pouring from his forehead. Years of solo gigging make his playing a show in itself. But combined with Kroeber and Keaton, it's doubtful the Dodos will follow their namesake into extinction.

Critic's Notebook

Personal Bias: The Dodos' music is high-demanding of the three musicians on stage -- if anyone deserves a break from the touring grind, it's them.

By the way: Thank you to opening band, The Ruby Suns, for showing us that three drum sets are better than one.