Dr. Bacon live at Tribble's
Dr. Bacon, OH MY GOD, DR, BACON!!!!!!! I had no idea before this show how badly I needed Appalachian funk rock in my life until now. Tribble's Bar and Grill hosted Dr. Bacon for a Friday night double feature on 3/11/2022, and they brought the sizzle. Once the extended sound check was dialed in, because they had no less than 13 possibly more instruments they were playing. They brought every standard piece, plus a trombone, 3 saxophones, and a harmonica!!! I had no idea how dynamic it would be until they got going.
Dr. Bacon led out with some funk rock, then worked into almost a country vibe as their set rolled on. About ¾ through the first set, they led into one of my favorites, Girls From Caroline. That surprised me because this is one of their more popular songs, and they were still in the first set when they played it. After that, the funk really started flowing. They played a few more songs, each funkier then the last, until we hit intermission. Little did anyone know what was to come, and how wild things were going to get. Would there be more good music? Yes. Would Tribble pour shots in the bands mouths while they played? Yes. Would the band be introduced to how utterly epic Jimmy Fucking Craine is? Of course. Would an epic conga line break out that wrapped around the dance floor, out back around the picnic table, then back through the building including a trip around behind the bar? Well not only did that happen, but it was a first for the band and the bar!!!
As Dr. Bacon played the funkiest of funky Appalachian rock, they would dip into some blues and almost touch on metal for some of their songs. Dr. Bacon would close the show, or so they thought with a killer version of their song Overtime. The band then thanked the crowd, and started to put down their weapons of choice that they brought forth for the epic battle of a night at Tribbles. But in typical Tribble’s fashion, everyone started to chant WE AIN'T FUCKING LEAVING and 9 MORE SONGS!!!! This is when things got really crazy. The band brought out the big guns at this point, feeling the electricity in the air and realizing this crowd after 3 hours wasn’t done yet. Dr. Bacon played encore after encore, each time they ended the crowd would start yelling different song names and demanding more. The most epic part of the night was here: Jesse Talbott grabs the mic, soaked in sweat and yells “STOP YELLING SONG NAMES OR WE WILL BE DONE, THAT SHIT IS ANNOYING!!!” Maybe at other places a crowd would turn on a band for that move, but not at Tribble’s. The crowd screams back “YOUR ONE OF US NOW!!!” Knowing that they had just demanded and took the respect of everyone in the crowd, they huddled up for one last and most epic encores of the night. The one song that would shut this crowd up, and allow the band to finally get off stage and get a beer that they most certainly deserved. Myles Dunder looks over at the bass sax, grabs it like he is picking up a sward to slay a dragon, and the band leads into a cover, a cover that no one would expect, but they knew was needed. The intro is played and the crowd goes berserk. HOLY FUCKINGS SHIT, THEY ARE COVERING THE TROOPER BY IRON FUCKING MAIDEN!!!!! The crowd sings along as the song plays through, and let me tell you, if you haven’t heard the riff of The Trooper played on a bass sax, then you haven’t heard the funkiest of metal songs to ever be covered. As they finish the crowd roars with applause and Dr. Bacon knows they have earned the respect from the church of rock and roll.
As the band members leave the stage, they were greeted by the new fans they had earned, and a monster crowd waiting at their merch table. The most of epic merch tables I have seen. This was a show that you will be sourly disappointed you missed if you weren’t there. The level of electricity and emotion that was in the air will be difficult to top and this show will go down as one of the greatest shows that Tribble’s bar has ever put on! Dr. Bacon should be on everyone’s bucket list of bands to see, and I can’t wait to see them again!
