Philadelphia has always been a town renowned for passion and this was more than evident on March 10th when Ra, Lullwater, and Adakain rolled into town and played The Legendary Dobbs, a venue that is steeped in rock and roll history.
The night started off shortly after 8 PM as local alternative pop/rock/powerpop band Spin got the evening off to a rocking start as they got the crowd bopping with a six song set which included a clever cover of the TLC R&B pop hit “Waterfalls”. This set the tone for the evening as much rock and roll love was to follow.
Athens, Georgia natives Lullwater followed shortly thereafter with a blistering eight song set which included many selections of their eponymous recent release. John and Brett Strickland, Roy “Ray” Beatty and Joe Wilson poured their souls out onto the first floor stage on which acts such as Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Tool have played in the past. The Philly crowd moved in cue with the notes they provided from the comfy stage. Their diverse musical roots were more than evident as they started off with “Oddline” followed by “Waste Yourself” and then finally ending their set with “Alive”. They definitely followed through on one of their quotes from their website that they “simply want all we encounter to feel something….feel more alive in the process”. They most definitely did so this evening. Most assuredly, many in the audience cannot wait till their next area appearance. Their debut self-titled album is out now and worthy of adding to your collection.
Dallas, Texas based Adakain followed with a rousing set of their own. Guitarist/vocalist Ryan Ray announced to the crowd that their upcoming release will be produced by none other than Sahaj from Ra. The crowd bounced during their set which included a rousing version of Alice In Chains’ “Them Bones”. The band appeared determined to egg on the audience by announcing that they hail from Dallas, a city that Philly fans are not too fond from the competitive sports revival of the cities, but Adakain won everyone over with their fiery brand of rock. Keep an eye out for this band in the coming months.
The almighty Ra took the stage at approximately 11 PM and tore it up! It was great to see such a great crowd on a Monday night which is not your typical rock night, as pointed out by lead vocalist Sahaj. Ra got into the flow of the music as soon as they hit the stage. They poured through their hits such as “Rectifier”, “Fallen Angels”, “Don’t Turn Away” and “Do You Know My Name?”. They also threw in their volatile version of the Police’s “Every Little Thing She Does” for good measure. One of the highlight songs off of their newest release Critical Mass was the song “Super Mega Dubstep” and this was well received by the crowd. A momentary sadness hushed the crowd as Sahaj announced that this was Ra’s last tour. Along with Sahaj, Ben Carroll, PJ Farley and Zach Morris sent the crowd home with a performance that soon will not be forgotten. All of the bands hung around with the crowd afterwards, providing camaraderie that is the essence of a venue such as the Legendary Dobbs. Bravo to a great gig that was March 10th.
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