Updated: 10-OCT-1999

July 5, 1999 Columbus, Ohio Show Review

 

The final night of our vacation trip following Dave's tour was the show at Mekka in Columbus, Ohio.

Mekka is located inside a very clean-looking concrete and cinder block warehouse about a mile east of Columbus' convention center. Its cleanliness sets it apart from the other buildings on Dublin Avenue, most of which are operating industrial buildings. Unless you're paying attention to the street addresses, it's very easy to drive right past. Mekka's entrance is a minimally-marked glass door off the parking lot, about midway back, amid several other businesses occupying the same building. A pair of stark, but clean, corridors lead back to the show floor located in a large, open two-story tall space along the back wall of the building. Frankly, the huge mounds of construction dirt where Dublin intersects Neil Avenue looked far worse than anything I saw nearer Mekka.

Mekka has a reptuation for versatility. The day before, Ted Nugent and several other bands in his genre were booked into Mekka. Judging from the racks of votive candles lining the walls, Mekka hosts the Goth crowd at least one night a week, as well. In the process of setting up the show floor, they must have installed one of the world's most poweful air conditioning systems, since it was comfortably cool inside the cavernous space despite the 90+ degree weather outside. Mekka provided a somewhat heftier sound system than Mr. B's, and also a larger, higher stage. I'd heard a few negative things about the place from locals and ex-locals, but my experience didn't bear out any of their criticisms.

While we were waiting for the show to begin, we met several fans whom fate twice cheated out of seeing Dave in southwest Ohio: first, when the date in Dayton was cancelled, and second when the Blue Note closed. Their eager anticipation and raw enthusiasm was energizing.

The opening act went on at five to nine. Watershed was a local hard rock act, with a guitar player who looked like a young Pauly Shore and a bassist going for the Shannon Hoon look. Their set combined modern rock with tinges of punk in a loud, but very entertaining 40 minute set. According to the woman who was signing people up for the Watershed mailing list, they do a lot of Kinks covers in their own sets.

By 10:05, everything was set up and the band took over the stage. As with other nights on this tour, they used some of the opening act's equipment, most notably the drums. Since the entire group is traveling in one 15-passenger van, they did not bring much of their own sound equipment or their drums.

Dave seemed distracted, but after 12 shows, I've come to the conclusion that he performs more intensely when he has something else on his mind. Whether he shifts more of his conscious energy to remain focused on the show, or more totally immerses himself in the music to divert his attention from whatever is bothering him, I cannot say. We did, however, notice him glancing offstage several times during the performance, rather more than usual.

Everyone on stage seemed "on" as they poured heart and soul into a high-energy romp through a fairly typical set for this tour:

Dave in particular was in good form, adding many more complex flourishes to the songs than we'd seen in North Canton or Cleveland, even if he did miss a chord once or twice. Between "Picture Book": and "Strangers", he began a few bars of a positively mesmerizing bit of Spanish guitar that left most of us up front open-mouthed and wanting more. Dave can be a bit of a tease at times...

The other guys in the band kept up quite handily, and with the minor exception of Nathan having a little difficulty with the keyboard (the guitar's much more his weapon of choice, and he did a marvelous job on that), the guys blasted through what I felt to be the best performance of the three shows we'd seen this month.

This was certainly not the largest crowd of the tour--I figure that there were more than 60, but less than 100. What the crowd lacked in size, it made up in enthusiasm. At one point, I looked to my right to see the members of Watershed bouncing and dancing around with even more enthusiasm than the rest of us!

Being absolutely worn out by the heat, the travel, and a few late nights this week, we retreated back to our motel room more quickly than usual. I honestly don't know how the guys have the energy for these tours-- we wimped out after only three dates!

-Fritz Milhaupt

Excerpts From the Diary of a Raving Dave Fan

Mekka - Columbus, Ohio 7/5/99

Having spent the morning (and a good portion of the afternoon) in the wonderful company of Jim LaSpesa and Dave Jenkins, touring Columbus' used record shops and book stores. We got to Mekka an hour before they opened.

Before leaving Ann Arbor, one of my coworkers, who grew up in Columbus warned me that Mekka had a very bad reputation, and she "wouldn't go there". I will admit it was in a less nice end of town, in what appeared to be a reclaimed warehouse, but it didn't seem too bad on the outside.

Once inside, I noted the Goth black interior, but it still didn't seem at all bad to me. In fact of the all the shows we'd seen this time out, it had the best sound system!

The opening band, whose name escapes me, seemed really hyped to be opening for Dave. They kept referring to him in glowing terms.

The crowd was the most enthusiastic as well. People were singing along on all the old favorites, and called out requests left and right. One fan was so enthused he couldn't wait for Dave to ask someone to come on stage to sing "Death of a Clown", and just leapt up before the intro was even played.

Dave took this startling development in stride and let the man sing a bit. The man was so star struck he didn't want to leave Dave's presence, which I can fully understand.

The highlights of this show for me were:

1. Meeting and watching Theresa, a new face in the crowd, become as bowled over as I was at my first Dave solo show. She had never seen him solo before and was turned into a RDF on the spot.
    
2. Dancing with Rafaela during "Fortis Green".
    
3. Dave's teasing us regulars during "Fortis Green" that this was supposed to be a "new song" and us singing along and meowing showed him that we knew it by heart!
    
4. And of course, Dave's excellent showmanship, and talent!
   

The band played off of the energy of the audience and Dave added flourishes to the guitar parts that I'd never heard before, leaving several in the audience wide eyed at this display of virtuosity!

Once again the show ended too soon, even though they did a multi-song encore. To be honest they could play all night and I'd still want more, I am a hopeless RDF I'm afraid. (Big smile)

Epilogue

At the end of each trip to see Dave shows I ask myself, is all this traveling to see shows worth it? And each time I come to the conclusion that these shows are some of the best times I've ever had. I get to be with my friends, Jimmy, Joanne, Frank Reda, Rafaela, Mike and Linda Kraus. I get to see my very favorite musician play, and hear the music that is the soundtrack of my life, and spend time with Fritz.

And oh yeah, did I mention I got to see Dave Davies too? :)

RAVING DAVE FANS UNITE!

- Leslie Ohanian