In my opinion, Basement East is the venue. And from what I can tell as someone who typically listens to indie and pop, Dorothy is the rock artist to see.
Having never been to a rock concert (embarrassing, I know) I had no idea what to expect. I wanted to soak it all in, so I shuffled towards the middle of the audience.
Before Dorothy had even stepped onto the stage, the energy was palpable. Smoke filled the air around the stage and the band was hyping up the crowd for her arrival; and what an arrival it was. She wore a black fringed leather jacket as well as a shirt from one of her openers, Joyous Wolf. Her black leather pants made it clear: this was certainly a rock concert.
When she stepped on the stage, the first song, “Down to the Bottom,” absolutely smashed.
One of the most important things about a concert is the artist’s stage presence, and Dorothy did not disappoint. As a viewer, I am always looking for something that feels more than listening to the artist on Spotify. Dorothy provides exactly the show that the audience was craving. Her fluid movements and head banging were enthusiastic and truly unlike anything I have ever seen at a non-rock concert. I have never seen a performer who is more deeply attached to the music that they create. She seemed to be attached physically and emotionally to the words she sang all night long.
One of the best moments of the concert was when we heard the band’s cover of “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).” The audience was all singing along, encouraged by Dorothy herself.
Regarding her personal discography, my favorite part of the night was Dorothy’s rendition of “Flawless.” The lyrics, “You said I was the one but you married someone half your age/She’s a groupie ex-girlfriend with a plastic face/And you said you’d never go back to an old flame,” were filled with emotion, humor and depth.
The most admirable aspect of the concert was the power the band had in getting the crowd pumped up. They created an amazing energy, due exclusively to their dancing and musical passion. At one point Dorothy seemed to get so passionate, she was singing while writhing on the writhing and dancing. Personally, it was so cool to see someone just excited to be performing, that she got to do what she was doing.
To sum up the success of the night, following a particular head-banging song, Dorothy breathlessly told the crowd: “Alright fine, I’ll move to Nashville.”
Needless to say, the crowd erupted in cheers.
