Those not interested in getting in fights over flatscreen TVs on Black Friday had a much more entertaining option when Smoking Popes headlined a show at Bottom Lounge. They were on a three band bill and it was a really solid lineup so it was well worth showing up on time for it.
First up was Menthol. They formed in the mid 1990s in Champaign, IL and released an album on Capitol Records and had a second one ready to go but the label dropped them and it didn’t get released for years. They either have never stopped playing, or maybe recently reformed, either way, they are well worth your time to check out. They played catchy power pop/rock songs and really got the night off on the right foot. They played about 40 minutes and the whole set was excellent. I’m not sure how this band flew under my radar for all these years until this night but I have some homework to do making up for lost time and checking out their albums.
Scott Lucas of Local H fame was up next. Scott was doing a solo set so it was just him and his guitar. He played a lot of Local H songs and those songs sound great even without drums! Scott’s an incredibly talented musician and songwriter and his set was just a mere sampling of the many great songs he’s written over the last few decades. He’s also one of the hardest working musicians out there, constantly playing shows pretty much anywhere. His 45 minute set as top-notch.
Smoking Popes closed out the evening with a 90 minute set that was one great song after the next. They opened with “Golden Moment” which is the opening track on their most recent album (with great pinball themed cover art), Lovely Stuff. It sounded great and the band had a lot of energy right out of the gate, including Matt jumping up and down while playing his bass. The Popes quickly followed with “Midnight Moon” from their beloved Born To Quit album.
The band played a lot of stuff from the Capitol Records albums, which are the fan favorites, and a few from Lovely Stuff. Everything sounded spot-on and the crowd was way into it. They didn’t spend much time between songs talking, they just kept playing great music until they ran through the main part of their set, including having Scott Lucas join them on stage for “Allegiance” which was a real treat.
They came back out for a three song encore that ended the evening with “I Know You Love Me” which was a hell of a great song to close a show with. When they were done people still would have liked even more, the show was that fun. It was a wonderful way to spend an evening on a holiday weekend, and gave everyone in attendance something extra to be thankful for!
