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Fun Fun Fun Fest review: The Riverboat Gamblers
No one would’ve held it against the Riverboat Gamblers if the Austin punks’ Sunday set at Fun Fun Fun Fest had come off as uneven or a little reserved. Reeling from the hospitalization of guitarist Ian MacDougall last month in a severe bike/truck accident, the Gamblers had planned on playing with only second guitarist Fadi El-Assad in a move that would have severely restrained the band’s trademark energy and urgency.
Instead of merely putting in appearances, though, the Gamblers enlisted a crew of friends and former members Sunday to turn the rainy, overcast day into a celebration. It was an occasion that featured MacDougall at the side of the stage on crutches (against doctor’s orders) and front man Mike Wiebe calling the show “The Riverboat Gamblers and Friends,” with Justin Hall from Austin’s Krum Bums helping out on guitar and former Gamblers bass player Pat Lillard taking a run through a few older songs.
It’d be crass to say the adversity helped the show, but the feeling of a scrappy band fighting against long odds was palpable from the start of set opener “Dissdissdisskisskisskiss,” its early line “One day, you’re gonna die” taking on added heft given MacDougall’s accident and laundry list of injuries. That vulnerability gave a deeper shade to many of the band’s songs, most notably “Don’t Bury Me (I’m Still Not Dead)” which was delivered with as much energy as ever while Wiebe did the human Superball bouncing-all-over-everywhere thing he’s pretty much famous for at this point.
Older songs like “What’s What” and “Hey! Hey! Hey!” were a little better fit on the day given their ragged nature and the abundance of energy and nerves playing out on stage, but the more measured single “A Choppy Yet Sincere Apology” from the new “Underneath The Owl” album has also found a home in the band’s furious live show and points to more creative growth as the Gamblers mature as a band.
It all culminated poetically and perfectly with a cathartic, set-closing performance of “The Art of Getting (Expletive)ed” as a stage full of friends crowding around microphones welcomed MacDougall as he helped sing the song’s “G-A-M-B-L-E-R” coda like it was an affirmation and statement of purpose for his life as he recovers. Little doubt he’ll make it or that friends and fans won’t be there to greet him witih open arms when he does.
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By Nathan Black
November 10, 2009 1:29 PM | Link to this
Nice post, but you obviously didn’t stay to watch the end of the set. Where Ian hobbled across the stage on a crutch and stood and played the last three songs, playing guitar around the cast on his left hand. It was an amazing experience, shame you missed it. Double shame that you tried to represent like you were there.
GFFG