Review by Ralph Greco, Jr.
Guitarist Steve Morse joked with me at the after-show hang at the Dixie Dregs show that I had to take into account the band’s performance through the prism of each member’s more “advanced” years. But I can clearly attest, the Dixie Dregs — Morse, bassist Andy West, violinist Allen Sloan, keyboardist Steve Davidowski and drummer Rod Morgenstein — showed no signs of their age affecting their playing on this night. In fact, this 45th anniversary reunion tour sees the five members of the Dregs are having the time of their life as they sail through a two-and-half-hour set.
Getting these particular guys back together is something Dixie Dregs fans mostly never expected. I could tell the sold-out New Jersey crowd was stoked for this particular stylized mix of countrified fusion American prog. Opening with the staccato beat of “Divided We Stand,” to Andy West cooking on “Assembly Line,” with blistering lines from Morse and Sloan doubling over the top, and the heavy, catchy melody of “Take It Off The Top,” the first half of the concert chugged along with music that covered a broad range of the band’s career.
Andy West did most of the talking here, joking with the crowd about how long it had been since this particular lineup played together, and the fact that sometimes the titles to the Dregs’ instrumentals meant a little more than they seemed…and sometimes not.
With Morse, Sloan and Morgenstein, who jumps off his stool when he plays, one tends to watch this trio center stage. The stuff West managed with his big eight-string bass kept the complete ensemble together, while the interjection of organ and synth leads Davidowski played brought the music to new heights.
The band took a break after a lengthy “Odyssey.” This one switches specifically through so many changes, some very slow sweet moments from Sloan’s violin, Morse and Morgenstein in lock-step, and then Davidowski throwing in his organ stabs. It proved to be the proggiest tune of the night.
The second set opened with Sloan coming out to speak a bit before returning to his violin, this time with a solo song he dedicated to his daughter. From there, the next hour and change took off with tunes like “Northern Lights,” a duet Sloan played with Morse on acoustic. On “Go Baroque,” Morse and Sloan were joined by West for even more classical-inspired stuff.
The heavy power chords of “Refried Funky Chicken,” followed, with Morse playing his most intense solos. His double picking on the full-tilt country boogie of “The Bash” got the Dregs and the crowd really rocking. “Cruise Control,” arguably one of the best known Dixie Dregs songs, ended the regular show, complete with a drum solo from Morgenstein. While not manning an especially large set, it’s a blast to watch a drummer with such exacting technique and perfect feel make his way round his kit and provide the sometimes off-kilter timing that the Dixie Dregs demand.
It was indeed a rare chance to see a classic lineup play and play so well. With aging bands saying farewell left and right, it’s hard to say if you’ll ever se this combination together again. My advice is to do all you got to do to get out and see them.
