Dr. John
Live At Rockpalast 1999
M.i.G
The German television show, Rockpalast, has been broadcasting live concerts by some of the finest musicians in the world since it went on air in 1974. The vast Rockpalast archive has been mined over the years for commercial releases, and the latest offering is a funky set by Dr. John and the Lower 911, recorded at the Loreley Amphitheatre on Lorelei Rock in Sankt Goarshausen, Germany.
Drummer Herman “Roscoe” Ernest sets the mood, calling out “it’s time to get funky” at the beginning of “Iko Iko.” Dr. John then leads the band through a loose and greasy rendition of the New Orleans staple. They then go into “Qualified,” featuring some of the Doctor’s patented word play. “Your Cadillac ain’t no hipper than my bus stop.” We then go into the deep swamp voodoo spookiness of “I Walk on Guilded Splinters.” The nine-minute workout leans heavily into atmosphere and dread. Ernest adds creepy accents with a slide whistle while the other band members jam on hand percussion.
The set includes deep cuts from Dr. John’s then-current albums. They lay down a deep groove on “Soulful Warrior,” from the Anutha Zone album. I haven’t heard Dr. John hit that level of cool very often. They also do a Peggy Lee/Duke Ellington composition, “I’m Going Fishing,” off the Duke Elegant album. David Barard lays down a tasty bass solo, while Doc sings about the healing power of a day spent on the water.
Of course we get the classic songs we all expect. “Right Place, Wrong Time” features a hot guitar solo from Booby Broom. Dr. John takes an extended piano break on the always lascivious “Such a Night.” I’m always happy to hear the mellow groove of “Mama Roux.” We’ve always got second line fever when the Doctor plays, and the band stretches out on the last two songs, “Going Back to New Orleans” and “Big Chief,” giving all the musicians a chance to take the spotlight and show their skills.
Live at Rockpalast 1999 is being released as a CD/DVD package. While I got material for the CD only, I did find a bootleg of the original broadcast online. It’s an excellent representation of the band having fun on stage. You get to see Dr. John dancing and grooving to the funk his band is laying down. The video includes a brief interview, with the presenter translating the answers for the German audience. The bootleg looks pretty good, so I’m sure the cleaned up DVD is going to be excellent.
