THE DOORS SHOW
The Charles Hotel, Perth, Western Australia
Saturday 17 September, 2011

By Shane Pinnegar

Photos by Mark Diggins

Channelling the shamanic, stoned spirit of the Sixties most iconic celebrators of the Hollywood counter-culture, Tony Dee and his DOORS SHOW tear through a sultry and steamy ‘Riders On The Storm’ to herald the start of this “Soft Parade” of Doors classics – a ninety minute trip through the back catalogue and live annals of arguably the most loved and derided, self-destructive and influential band to have helped form the shape of rock n’ roll as we know it.

‘Break On Through’ is fiery, incendiary – introduced with Jim Morrison’s infamous “You can’t petition the Lord with prayer” speech, followed by The Doors live favourite ‘Who Do You Love’, a charcoal filtered cover of the Bo Diddley classic, given the full Morrison treatment.

‘Take It As It Comes’ sees the swirling organ take centre stage as Dee, hopped up on God knows what, captures Morrison’s famed Native American stage rain-dancing.

It’s a fantastically authentic show – and not just musically, where they are as tight as a young drum.

Many so-called “tributes” are cobbled together by a group of disparate musos doing by-rote covers of studio singles and a few half-arsed set moves impersonating their subjects.

The Doors Show however, lives up to their slogan “Absolutely Live” by accurately recreating the sound, the spirit and the character of The Doors at the Whisky in ’66 or The Hollywood Bowl in ’68. The band improvise through these lush soundscapes, their music writhing like a lusty, sinuous snake in the hot desert sun.

Dee IS Morrison – mannerisms and all, revelling in playing the frustrated poet teetering on the brink of disaster – for the duration of the show (not to mention backstage after the show)

Yes folks – this is no ordinary “tribute” band playing tired old cabaret for the middle-aged, desperate to recapture a glimpse of their late-lamented glory days. This is authentic, gonzo, stoned, immaculate – and as unique as a “tribute” show can get.

At the end of the set, ‘L.A.Woman’ is intro’d by a Jack Daniel’s bottle swilling Dee as “Imagine you’re in a mustang… driving down L.A.… with a chick…with her head on your cock!” It’s a beautiful, slightly shocking moment which is, again, as authentic a Doors moment as the music recreated here tonight. You just can’t fake this!

A swampy Krieger-like lead guitar intro opens the encore as Tony Dee swaggers back onstage, takes another slug from that rapidly emptying bottle of Jacks, and launches into the blues-sleaze of the all-day drinker’s anthem ‘Roadhouse Blues’.

As Tony finishes setting the night on fire by inviting the crowd backstage for an impromptu meet n’ greet and the venue booking agent buries his shaking head in his hands, his minder shepherds him onto the packed dance floor for a hundred photos with the rapturous, dance-sweaty crowd, and we know that if anyone will “wake up tomorrow morning and get himself a beer”, it’ll be him.

Riders On The Storm
Break On Through
Who Do You Love
Take It As It Comes
Hello, I Love You
Love Her Madly
People Are Strange
Soul Kitchen
Love Me Two Times
Touch Me
Light My Fire
Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)
Peace Frog
The Changeling
L.A. Woman

Roadhouse Blues