Rocco DeLuca and The Burden at the Paradise
August 3, 2007 by Editor
Filed under Concert Reviews
Rocco DeLuca and The Burden
with The Midway State, and The Last Goodnight
August 3, 2007
Boston, MA
We arrived at the venue early. “Where are the cards?” I hear. “Oh shit” I thought. We frantically tore through the interior of the car looking for the bag which had all the flash cards for the camera. It was nowhere to be found. I called the coffee shop we patronized on the way into town, but no luck. They didn’t have the bag. Panic. Then it clicked… “the photo shop!” A quick call revealed that we had left the bag there… an hour and a half drive away, but at least the cards were safe and sound.
My next task was to find a flash card for the camera. The club’s doorman informed me that it was only a ten minute walk down Commonwealth Avenue to a Radio Shack. Ten Fifteen minutes of brisk walking later, I arrived at the store. It was a very hot and humid evening, so by now I was sweating profusely. I bought a new card (and a bottle of water), and hurried back to the venue.
With the drama now past us, it was time to focus on the music. Opening acts, The Midway State and Connecticut-based The Last Goodnight, who had a many home town fans in the crowd, both received quite a warm reception from the audience.
Photo by Kristen Pierson
This is third time we’ve had a chance to see Rocco DeLuca and The Burden perform live. This is their first headlining tour and I was eagerly looking forward to a longer set.
Prior to the show, I was a bit concerned that they didn’t have enough material to really fill a headlining spot without the set dragging along… how wrong I was. The set was a full hour and a half, and included songs from their Live Sessions EP and also exciting new material. Every moment from the entire set was captivating. These guys are so good live. A great job was done to capture their energy on the album recordings, but sometimes, as in this case, nothing beats a live performance.
Brett Bixby has taken on a more significant role, not just during one or two songs. Ryan Carman, Greg Velasquez, and Dave Beste also got to show off their chops during some of the set’s jam session moments.
Rocco was phenomenal. A lot has been written about his prowess with the Dobro, but pay close attention during songs like How Many Times, when he demonstrates excellent vocal ability and control to create such beautiful soundscapes. The use of a theremin onstage was also very cool.
The Bunny was in the house, lurking around. At one point, the rabbit even hopped (sic) onstage to hand Rocco his guitar. Also in the club was Ironworks Music partner Kiefer Sutherland. It was a bit amusing to watch the parade of girls strut by Mr. Sutherland’s booth, trying to be noticed. He appeared to be greatly enjoying the music. After the show, he signed autographs for fans outside the club.
We were nearly last in line to meet Rocco after the show. He seems so appretiative of his fans, even taking the time to sign autographs when he wasn’t feeling well. Outside the club we had a chance to briefly talk to bassist Dave Beste. Then we headed home. All the chaos before the show was now a distant memory as we savored the experience of seeing Rocco DeLuca and The Burden perform live again… until the next time.
