Up to this point, I’d seen JOHN DOE and EXENE CERVENKA in almost every possible configuration. From the very first time I saw X on the Unclogged tour in 1995, I’ve seen the reunited X play four times, THE KNITTERS twice and have seen a solo John Doe show as well as two shows when Exene has fronted THE ORIGINAL SINNERS. However, I’d never seen the two of them as a duo. When they first played in this configuration last year, the tour hit New York, but not Philadelphia. Thankfully, when they decided to do it again, a Tin Angel show was added and I got tickets right away.
This was an early show and thus the set was short. Even with an encore, it couldn’t have been more than an hour and fifteen minutes. Opening with the X classic “Burning House of Love”, the set was a mix of X songs (including a completely reworked version of “Because I Do” along with an acoustic but still fast-paced stab at “In This House that I Call Home”), songs from both John and Exene’s solo career and a few brand new ones, too. Other highlights from the show included versions of X’s “I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts” and “See How We Are” along with a cover of the country song “Give Me My Flowers While I’m Livin’, which appeared on the 2005 Knitters album The Modern Sounds of the Knitters.
John and Exene were both in fine form, joking with the audience liberally and telling stories about each song beforehand. A particularly great one was the story behind the X song “Skin Deep Town” (also recorded by The Knitters) and how it came to be in Fort Lauderdale, FL when X was on tour in the mid ’80s.
