Live Shows: Deer Tick and Deervana, Fete Music Hall, Providence, RI 12/30/24

Looking back, it's become a tradition for me to go out on New Year's Eve Eve instead of New Year's Eve. Things typically get out earlier, they're cheaper, people are less drunk, and if you're going out on December 30, it's because you want to be there. When Deer Tick announced a hometown show at Fete Music Hall on NYE, I wanted to go, especially since it was the return of Deervana, which is them playing Nirvana covers. That night didn't work out for me, but after it sold out they announced a December 30 show, which I jumped at.

Deer Tick opened the show as themselves, which was the opposite of what I expected. I love seeing bands playing hometown shows, and while all of New England can be considered Deer Tick country, there's just something special about seeing them in Providence. Not really playing as part of a tour or to promote an album, Deer Tick played an incredibly loose set that spanned their career and included some requests from fans of the band. They opened with "These Old Shoes" and also included classics like "Main Street" and "Ashamed." One of the requests was for "Christmas All Summer Long," which is a very deep cut. "Forgiving Ties" was another favorite and showcased how far the band has come since their original Hank Williams meets Nirvana sound. An absolutely epic version of "The Real Thing" closed out the Deer Tick portion of the show, and the band left to make room for the headliner.

For their big return, Deervana took on Nirvana's MTV Unplugged album. They did an absolutely amazing job of it, and managed to sound like both Nirvana and Deer Tick at the same time. For me, personally, Nirvana's Unplugged album is the one I listen to the least, since when I want Nirvana I want the full on loud/quiet/loud experience. As great as Deervana's version was, it just wasn't what I wanted from the night. It's a weird feeling to know you're not enjoying something as much as you want to and should be. After the album closing cover of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night," Deervana returned for a version of "Territorial Pissings." Now I'm just hoping that Deer Tick was bit by the bug (pun intended), and they'll be coming back for a more loud than quiet show in the near future.