Dopapod returned to action over the weekend in Denver to kick off the first full leg of tour dates since their comeback performance at The Capitol Theatre.
On Thursday, ahead of their highly anticipated two-night Denver run, Dopapod teamed up with music education nonprofit Little Kids Rock for a special performance at the local Maxwell Elementary School to talk to the kids and perform (assembly style) for the school’s 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-grade students. The elementary school gig featured renditions of “Mucho” and “Happy Song” as well as an impromptu blues jam with some of the school’s student horn players.
Dopapod’s Little Kids Rock appearance at Maxwell Elementary also featured an appropriate performance of beloved children’s song/surprise recent worldwide viral sensation, “Baby Shark”. That “Baby Shark” performance wound up being teased on several occasions during Dopapod’s VIP performance the following night. Check out some clips from Dopapod’s elementary school assembly below:
View this post on Instagram
#Dopapod playing “Happy Song” to elementary school kids ahead of their Denver shows! #LittleKidsRock
Dopapod – “Mucho” – Maxwell Elementary – 10/3/19
On Friday night, Dopapod kicked off their Emit Time Tour—named after their recent studio album—with a special, VIP-only show at Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox on Friday evening. The Ophelia’s show marked Dopapod’s first official gig since their “PALINDROMES” set on 9/19/19 at Resonance Music Festival. The lucky superfans who made it into the intimate show were treated to a very special two-set performance.
The show got started with fan-favorite “Trapper Keeper”. While usually a vehicle for improvisation, this “Trapper” took that mantle to an extreme at Ophelia’s, stretching out the jam to last the entire first set. Amidst the hour-plus jam, the band gave a nod to their Little Kids Rocks performance the day before with a number of “Baby Shark” teases as well as a “Jam Band Blues” jam led by guitarist Rob Compa. Watch a full video of the epic “Trapper Keeper” jam below:
Dopapod – “Trapper Keeper” – 10/4/19
While set one on 10/4 was all Dopapod—and all “Trapper Keeper”—the second set of the VIP performance saw the band welcome out a non-stop parade of musical friends to sit in. Guests on the second set included saxophonist Nicholas Gerlach and trombonist Scott Flynn (on “French Bowling”, “Brookline Bridge”, “8 Years”, “Turnin’ Knobs”, and “New James”); RAQ keyboardist Todd Stoops and Big Gigantic drummer Jeremy Salken (on “8 Years”); Thievery Corporation percussionist Jeff Franca (on “Turnin’ Knobs” and “New James”); guitarist Caton Sollenberger (on “Bahbi”); and former Sister Sparrow guitarist Sasha Brown and bassist Doug Gresh (on “Indian Grits”).
To close the performance, Dopapod delivered a climactic rendition of “Dracula’s Monk” featuring another “Baby Shark” jam and a “Broken Dixie” tease before transitioning into a set-closing cover of Black Sabbath‘s weed anthem, “Sweet Leaf”. A “Happy Song” encore (complete with yet another “Baby Shark” tease) sent the Ophelia’s audience home buzzing about what was to come on Saturday night.
[Photo: mkdevo]
On Saturday, Dopapod capped their tour-opening weekend in Denver with their debut headlining performance at the Ogden Theatre. Playing to an audience of 1000+, the band opened with “Black and White” and “Turn by Turn” before delivering a bust-out cover of Soundgarden‘s “Black Hole Sun”—making it their first live performance of the 1994 grunge anthem since November 10th, 2012. The first half of the show continued with “My Elephant Vs. Your Elephant”, “Numbers Need Humans”, “Mucho”, and finally “Vol. 3 #86” to send fans into set break.
The band returned to kick off the second set with “Bats in the Cave”, which remained unfinished as the music transitioned into “Bubble Brain”. “Live in the Dream” came next, followed by a keys and drums jam by Eli Winderman and Neal “Fro” Evans which transitioned into Megagem track, “Starfish”.
Following the band’s take on the theme from the Donkey Kong Country video games, the show kept rolling with “Freight Train” and “Filled With Dynamite” to bring the set to a close. Dopapod returned for a two-song encore of “Braindead” and “Present Ghosts” to close out an eventful weekend in Denver.
Scroll down for videos fro the band’s Ogden Theatre performance on Saturday.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Dopapod’s fall tour picks up again next month with a show at TLA in Philadelphia, PA on November 23rd with support from DOMi and JD Beck. See below for a full list of upcoming Dopapod fall tour dates and head to the band’s website for tickets and more information.
Scroll down for a full gallery from Saturday’s performance at the Ogden Theatre, courtesy of Ali Jay Multimedia.