Deer Tick played Webster Hall w/ Matt Vasquez (pics), touring Europe in September (dates)

words and photos by Tracy Allison

John McCauley & Matt Vasquez @ Webster Hall

Friday night (8/13) Deer Tick played a phenomenal show for a very enthusiastic audience at a very full Webster Hall. This show was their last before leaving for a month long European tour on September 9th. Prior to the performance, the band promoted the show on their twitter page with various tweets promising motorcyles, horses on nitrous, and crowd surfing babies. While none of those promises were kept, it certainly was not a show to be missed. One audience member commented on the performance, saying, “This was the best Deer Tick show I’ve ever seen. You could tell how excited they were to be here tonight.”

While the show did not begin until 8 p.m., a small line had formed outside of Webster Hall before the doors opened at 6:30 p.m. and a few devoted fans claimed their spots directly in front of the stage as soon as the venue allowed them in. Opener Matt Vasquez (sans the rest of his band, Delta Spirit) took the stage at 8 p.m., expressing how happy he was to be performing and telling the audience he would gladly take song requests. Deer Tick frontman John McCauley joined Matt briefly for a song. By the end of his set, not only was the room fairly full, he was commanding it with just his voice and his guitar.

Around 9 p.m., after a quick introduction by a friend and the sounds of an air horn, the members of Deer Tick began appearing on stage. During their hour and forty-five minute set, lead singer John McCauley serenaded audience members and passed around a bottle of Jack Daniels. Vasquez joined Deer Tick briefly for one song. The band played songs from their three albums, War Elephant, Born on Flag Day, and The Black Dirt Sessions, as well as MG&V covers, a sax solo, and a handful of newer songs. Prior to starting their encore, McCauley grabbed a mysterious box that had been sitting on stage, handed it to the audience, and told them to pass it back. Moments later silly string was flying everywhere and by the time the rambunctious encore was over, the drum set was torn apart and various instruments were covering a good portion of the stage. Despite the state of the equipment, the audience began chanting “One more song! One more song!” to which Deer Tick obliged, returning to the stage as all the members took part in singing an a beautiful a cappella rendition of “Dirty Dishes”

Less than a month earlier, Deer Tick kicked off their North American tour with a sold out show at Maxwell’s. More pictures from the tour-ending show at Webster Hall, and all upcoming dates, below…

Matt Vasquez

Deer Tick

Deer Tick – 2010 Tour Dates
Sep 9 – Grand Mix Tourcoing, Nord-Pas-d, FRANCE
Sep 10 – Bestival Isle of Wight, England, UNITED KINGDOM
Sep 11 – End of the Road Dorset, UNITED KINGDOM
Sep 12 – End Of The Road Festival North Dorset, UK, UNITED KINGDOM
Sep 14 – Cafe De La Danse Paris, FRANCE
Sep 16 – Paradiso Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
Sep 17 – De Spot Middelburg, Zeeland, NETHERLANDS
Sep 18 – Take Root Groningen, NETHERLANDS
Sep 20 – Botanique Brussels, BELGIUM
Sep 21 – Das Bett Frankfurt Main, Hessen, GERMANY
Sep 22 – Monarch Berlin, GERMANY
Sep 23 – Reeperbahn Festival Hamburg, Hamburg, GERMANY
Sep 25 – Civic Theatre Bedford, UNITED KINGDOM
Sep 26 – Taylor John’s House Coventry, West Mids
Sep 28 – Cargo London, GB, UNITED KINGDOM
Sep 29 – Brudenell Social Club Leeds, Leeds, UNITED KINGDOM
Sep 30 – Deaf Institute Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM
Oct 1 – Captain’s Rest Glasgow, Glasgow Ci, UNITED KINGDOM
Oct 2 – Auntie Annie’s Belfast, Northern I, UNITED KINGDOM
Oct 3 – Whelans Dublin, IRELAND