Dr. Dog Lonesome

Here's the thing about the Greek Theater in Berkeley: it's pretty difficult to have a bad show-going experience there. There's not a bad seat in the house, thanks to the surprisingly intimate set-up of the classic amphitheater. Sitting way up on the lawn? You have jaw-dropping views of San Francisco to back the band. Shows here seem epic, grand, larger-than-life.

It's a perfect venue for Dr. Dog. The Philadelphia-based six-piece band thrives on the epic -- their layered, building orchestrations veering between drama and joy with ease. It's a sound that comes through on their albums and is even more captivating in a live performance.

For this show, Dr. Dog was the opener for current indie-folk darlings The Lumineers. Rather than detract from their performance, being followed by The Lumineers further emphasized for me just how superior Dr. Dog is as a band, as performers, and as songwriters. Their songs have sticking power that goes beyond simple catchiness. Their songs are carefully crafted, layered affairs, that demand a level of attention and immersion that the simple stomp-happy melodies of The Lumineers can't touch.. at least, not yet.

Dr. Dog's set, while shorter than I'd have liked, covered numbers from their most recent album, Be The Void, including a rousing rendition of album opener "Lonesome," but dug back into older material, including a totally show-stopping performance of "Shame, Shame."

This is a band that gets better with every album, and every performance. Their passion catapults their songs deep into memory. They are absolutely the headliner, whether or not they're billed as such.