Concert Review
The Spin Doctors
Bear’s Den Inside
Seneca Niagara Casino
Niagara Falls, NY
Friday September 23, 2016
Review: David Leary
Photos: Joseph Suto
It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years since the release of Pocket Full of Kryptonite, Spin Doctors’ 1991 debut studio album. This really makes me feel old as that was one of the CDs that was in heavy rotation among my friends as a college freshman. Friday night the band,who got back together in 2001 after some time apart and lineup changes, performed nearly that entire record (with the exception being “Refrigerator Car”). The Bear’s Den at Seneca Niagara Casino may not have been at full capacity but from the opening riff of “What Time Is It?”, it was clear that this was going to be a good time. Guitarist Eric Schenkman, bassist Mark White and drummer Aaron Comess were on fire from the outset. Singer Chris Barron may not look like the guy you remember from those old videos but he sounded about the same. He mentioned this was his first show since having vocal cord surgery last year. He’s not a powerhouse vocalist but his idiosyncratic delivery fits perfectly with this band.
Barron was an energetic presence, doing leg kicks and dancing like it was the early ‘90s. At one point, he threw the band off by introducing the wrong song. He also stepped back to let his bandmates show off their impressive skills. Both White and Comess got long solos near the end of the show. Schenkman was shredding all night particularly the bluesy songs from their most recent release, 2013’s If the River was Whiskey. He also took the lead vocal for “Off My Line”, a stellar album cut from Kryptonite.
This was my first time seeing a Spin Doctors show but I knew they had a reputation as a killer live band. They certainly lived up to that. It’s clear that they enjoy playing together. I would like to see them at an outdoor venue (maybe Canalside or Artpark next summer?) Like a lot of acts from the ‘90s that faded away for a while, this is an under appreciated band that is still in top form.
Set List
What Time Is It?
Nice Talking To Me
More Than She Knows
Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong
Big Fat Funky Booty
If The River Was Whiskey
40 or 50
Some Other Man Instead
How Could You Want Him (WYKYCHM)
Off My Line
Jimmy Olsen’s Blues
Shinbone Alley
Two Princes
Encore
Scotch and Water Blues
