Pop Break Live: Dawes In-Store Performance at Main Street Music in Philadelphia
Words & Photos by Staci Altomari
A reverent silence took hold inside Main Street Music as Dawes assumed their places in the corner to treat the packed crowd to a few songs from their most recent album Passwords. It’s funny how music goes sometimes. On August 24, they played to an arena of music fans when they open for ELO at the Wells Fargo Center but this afternoon offered a more intimate setting.
The cozy record store on Main Street in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia is a pillar in our music community. This store is a timeless survivor of the digital age retaining relevance through their expertise in connecting music lovers to a new favorite record and sometimes offering the rare opportunity to hear those records played live in the store.
Dawes most recent album title reads like a sweet nod to their career; despite their history boasting six albums, a stint as Conor Oberst’s backing band, and opening slots for John Mayer and currently ELO, it has been a slow burn. This band grows and endures like a treasured secret, whispered only to the closest friends.
On this day in Manayunk, Main Street Music celebrated their 100th in-store performance with Dawes making their third appearance. The band opened with “Stay Down” and “Feed the Fire” then rolled right into the album single “Crack the Case.” Their fourth song “Never Gonna Say Goodbye” is a standout on “Passwords,” eliciting the sole commentary from the crowd when someone loudly offered “That’s a great song!” Dawes closed their short set with “Telescope.”
What makes this different from every other show happening in venues big and small all around the world? The quiet. The powerful, indescribable quiet that exists among a crowd with an unspoken understanding that they are witnessing something special. A band that will play for thousands throughout this month, spent the afternoon filling a living-room sized space with stunning sound crafted by musicians who get better with each passing year. It is no doubt that the world will eventually wake to the secret of Dawes. There is a crowd of believers waiting to welcome you.
