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The Loft Dallas



Last Updated: 12/21/2009

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Status: Single
City: DALLAS
State: Texas
Country: US
Signup Date: 7/27/2007
Thursday, May 29, 2008 
I can't overemphasize how fantastic Wednesday's *Foxboro Hot Tubs* concert was at the Loft (above the *Palladium Ballroom* ; it's a sensational rooftop concert venue).

For those who don't know: Foxboro Hot Tubs is a side project of the members of *Green Day* with three other longtime musician pals. It plays re-constituted 1960s rock classics. It does it well. But know that so much more went on that evening (read some of it, below) that was not only supremely cool, but it made the 75-minute gig undeniably fun. Think what you will of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool, but FHT was the picture of a band re-energized by not having to be so "itself," as well as not having to play some huge, impersonal arena.

Mr. Armstrong hasn't been this loose as a performer since the //Dookie// days. He was a beer-swilling, crowd-surfing, amp-climbing nut on Wednesday, letting nothing restrain him from a very evident good time just being a front man (he never even touched a stringed instrument; only tambourine and maracas).

Mr. Dirnt and Mr. Cool both snazzed up their wardrobe for this gig, wearing suave, shimmery upper-crust threads more typically seen at juke joints circa 1962 than now. Constant smiles radiated from both; Mr. Dirnt even poured beer down several audience members' throats in between songs.

Mr. Armstrong reminisced about Green Day's first Dallas show in 1991 ("A skinhead fell through the roof!" he repeated). Mr. Dirnt chanted "Don't Mess With Texas" during a breakdown of "Broadway," then on Mr. White's cue, he lamented the recent fall of Deep Ellum as a live-music nexus "In loving memory."

The extra players, though fine musicians (except for multi-instrumentalist Jason Freese's wavery saxophone playing, but hey; it's hard to blow into a reed instrument with a hammered singer draped all over you) were the only iffy part. Pretty-boy guitarist Kevin Preston appeared totally out of place in both attitude (buttery, fluid stage movement) and look (//way// too glam, with a black-lace shirt and coiffed black hair that he very obviously didn't want muffed up). This is garage rock a la the Kinks, not Sweet or T-Rex, dude. Counterpart Jason White threw down some Portland-via-Seattle hobo indie-rocker visual schtick, and he appeared the most detached. Mr. Freese, at least, hammed it up and dressed the part in a tweed overcoat and a contrasting, diagonally striped shirt and tie.

Through physical enthusiasm alone it was clear not only who the members of Green Day were, but that they miss intimate shows like this one, which wasn't publicized and had only been booked by the Loft since late last week. Perfect moment: during the encore, a random crowd-surfing fan reached out to touch Mr. Armstrong's hand. The singer instead used the fan's gesture to pull himself onto the crowd, and he ended up back on stage just in time to wrap the song's final verse.

**David Ireland **
3:48 PM
 
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