Concert Review: the Creature Comforts reunion at the Record Bar
Saturday night's Creature Comforts reunion show at the Record Bar was one of those nights where I hung out, drank too much, and generally acted like I was ten years younger than I am. And, really--the Creature Comforts were a major part of my early twenties. Confession time: while I've probably seen more Ultimate Fakebook shows that I have Creature Comforts shows, the Creature Comforts were always my favorite. As much as I enjoyed the UFB reunion show, this was the one to which I was really looking forward.
And it didn't disappoint. Jason Sudeikis intro'd the band, unzipped his hoodie to reveal a Creature Comforts shirt, and the band took the stage like they'd never left. JD, Chris, Brian, and Billy opened with "Question/Answer," which is a pretty great start to a show. It starts out with strummed guitar and softly spoken / sung lyrics, and quickly builds to some rocking. After that, the band was off and running, playing even more tightly than the last show of theirs I'd attended. The boys of The Dead Girls rocked out in front of the stage, playing air drums like they were all rocking an imaginary Tommy Lee drumkit, and provided nearly as much entertainment as audience members as they did as a band.
Nick Spacek
The Creature Comforts ran through all the hits, like The Politics of Pop's "On Hold For the Holidays" and "Save Our Ship," and songs from Teaching Little Fingers to Play including "Off Duty Eyes" and "Lonely Monday" (no "Showboat," though, dammit). Unreleased tunes like "Bethany Parker" and "Skyline" were met with as much enthusiasm as "Sentimental Bliss," which was a radio hit, once upon a time in a magic land where local music was in radio rotation. "Skyline" is actually my favorite Creature Comforts songs, with its cowbell and up-stroke heavy riffage. It's the closest the band ever got to Cheap Trick, as opposed to Elvis Costello. Set-closer "Charmed, I'm Sure" got the biggest freak-out, and it was sad to think that it was the last thing we'd hear from the band.
The Dead Girls' set closer was the Creature Comforts' "(Tipping the) Cash Cow," however. It's always interesting when a band covers something, but it's especially ballsy to cover the band for whom you're opening. This paid off, however, with the Creature Comforts running out of songs they'd practiced. So, Chris Tolle called the Dead Girls up on stage, and all eight ran through "Cash Cow" again, with four-part harmonies, as well as the entire audience on back-up vocals. An all-star jam to end an all-star evening, really.
Openers The Sons of Great Dane sound like Lucero. Actually, they sound a lot like Lucero crossed with a less rocking Schatzi for the first half of their set. Then, half way through their set, they segue into something that sounds an awful lot like Ted Leo & the Pharmacists. Seriously, there is such a stylistic switch, if you closed your eyes, you'd think you were dealing with a totally different band. 
Nick Spacek
Frontman Brent Windler's voice is well-suited for the sort of country-tinged power pop of the first half of the set, but stretches a bit thin on the more rocking numbers, as well as their closing cover of Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece," which came off as neither rocking nor folksy, but a half-hearted blend of both.
The Dead Girls is comprised of former members of both Podstar and Ultimate Fakebook, both bands that shared the stage with the Creature Comforts many times. Now, the last time I saw this band live, they were just starting out, and still very much one of those "former members of" kind of bands. In the interim since I last saw them, they've come into their own, and I'm probably going to make more of an attempt to go check them out more often.
Nick Spacek
JoJo Longbottom and Cameron Hawk rock out with a passion, and I wonder if they're not going to shake their heads right off their necks, so furiously do they nod them while playing. And Nick Colby and Eric Melin hold down the rhythm section with equal energy. Melin's been noted for his Animal-like skins pounding numerous times before, but I don't think Colby (along with Unknown Stuntman's Aaron Riffel) gets enough attention for doing more than the usual bass player behavior of standing stock-still and plucking notes. He rocks it.
It's also possible that this might not be the last we've heard of the Creature Comforts. Tolle asked the audience "You want to do this next year? Cool. I'll write some new songs." We can only hope.
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