Tuesday, July 21, 2015

TT the Bear's Memory: Those Darlins and Deer Tick, February 4, 2010

With TT the Bear's closing forever this Saturday, I wanted to share some of my favorite memories of the iconic Cambridge rock club. Some of my most cherished musical memories took place within its walls. It is going to be missed greatly.

This was by far the craziest show I attended at TT's. Those Darlins were headlining, and for a while leading up to the show it was advertised that they'd have a "special guest." An hour before the show, they finally announced the special guest was Deer Tick, who had just outgrown the small confines of TT's. Since John McCauley and Nikki Darlin were engaged at the time, and Deer Tick are based less than an hour from Boston, this was kind of a no brainer.

Deer Tick only played an 8-song, 30 minute set, but it really sticks out. First, they came on stage wearing dresses procured from Those Darlins. I believe the drummer, Dennis Ryan, was wearing a ladybug print dress. After a song or two, McCauley announced that the band had bought everyone in the club that night a beer. It took a while for anyone to believe him, but it was true: There were 300 prepaid beers at the bar waiting. That pretty much set the tone for the entire evening. A definite highlight of Deer Tick's set was a duet with Nikki Darlin.

Those Darlins came next and brought the rawk. Live they have much more power than on their albums, and they held their own following a band with a bigger fanbase on their home away from home. Towards the end, during a cover of "Shakin' All Over," Deer Tick returned to sing, crowd surf, and drink some more. McCauley in particular was wearing a flannel shirt tied to his waist, and soon revealed that was his only attire while crowdsurfing. 

To see the remaining shows on TT's calendar, check out their website. There are only five shows left.

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