By the time Evan Dando wandered onto the stage at Adelaide's The Gov last night (22 May) wearing a red Coors hat and clutching a bottle, the house music was still blaring and, oddly, instead of waiting for it to be cut, he asked for it to be turned up.
What followed was a meandering rap, accompanied by swaying and slurred fragments of speech. At first it felt like one of those eccentric, off-the-cuff Dando moments his diehard fans might treasure until he began muttering through a barely recognisable version of 'Louie Louie'.Any lingering doubt evaporated: Evan Dando was clearly intoxicated, and the wheels were already off.
This made for an especially painful contrast given the glowing reviews of The Lemonheads' shows in other cities on this tour [Ed's note: read our positive review of their Brisbane concert last Sunday].
Those reports spoke of a revitalised Dando – lucid, nostalgic, still capable of summoning the wistful energy of 'It's A Shame About Ray' or the melancholy core of 'Rudderless'. However in Adelaide, we got a front-row seat to the far more familiar narrative: a gifted songwriter unravelling in real time.
By mid-set, he was falling over. Technically, the songs were all there. A sprawling set list was attempted, including cult favourites like 'My Drug Buddy', 'Bit Part', 'Alison's Starting To Happen', and a smattering of covers; everything from Black Sabbath's 'Snowblind' to Echo & The Bunnymen's 'The Killing Moon'.
While the muscle memory meant the guitar chords were (mostly) in place, Dando's slurred diction, off-key vocals, and lack of coherent stage presence turned these tracks into ghostly approximations of themselves.
At one point, between mumblings about a guitar strap he claimed to have bought in Peru, he launched into 'The Outdoor Type' and, tragically, it felt like the night's most unintentional irony. He was playing the role of someone who might be 'dependable' and 'present', but all the signs told another story.
His rhythm section, ever-professional, kept tight time, but their faces told the tale: This was a performance they were enduring, not enjoying. The bassist looked dejected, the drummer tight-lipped and grim. Whatever promises this tour had held, this show felt like a letdown they'd seen coming.
Some members of the crowd kept dancing, maybe choosing to focus on the nostalgia rather than the noise. For those hoping for fidelity to the original recordings, or even just a coherent delivery, this show was a gut punch. It wasn't 'A Shame About Ray', it was a tragedy about Evan.
Dando's long struggle with addiction has been well documented, and in recent years he has spoken publicly about finding sobriety. That made this show especially difficult to witness; not just a bad gig, but a deeply human relapse played out in front of a paying audience.
The warmth and vulnerability of his songwriting, which once endeared him to a generation, now felt like an echo bouncing off the walls of a hollow performance. While other states may have gotten vintage Lemonheads, Adelaide simply got a lemon.
Read the Reddit discussing last night's show.