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In perfect timing with last night’s beautiful spring-like weather, Lawrence felt very much itself as Dr. Dog appeared onstage of Liberty with a standing marquee that read ‘Welcome to LFK, Rock Chalk Jayhawk.’ Indie/hipster beings came from near and far (I met a family who journeyed from Fayetteville just to catch the show) to down cans of PBR, pass e-cigarettes and flail around rather aimlessly as the venue filled with clouds of weed smoke and soulful roots-rock favorites heavily inspired by ’60s bands Beach Boys and The Beatles.

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That’s not to say they didn’t seamlessly fuse other styles into their music incorporating folk, psychedelic, experimental and part-jam session, with a special shoutout to the killer guitar solos by Frank McElroy (sporting a handsome yellow cardigan with bright red buttons).

Toby Leaman and Scott McMicken switching off leads, and taking turns earning over-enthusiastic shouts of worship from the crowd, the Philadelphia six-piece band delivered a phenomenal live set closely resembling the sounds on their records with powerful harmonic vocals.

“It’s a combination of sweet soul and heavy metal,” McMicken cooly said to the crowd. “And so is this…”

Leaman started in on “The Beach,” a bluesy soulful number slowed down from the album rendition that served as last night’s gospel-esque anthem supported by his deep, raspy vocals and menacing red lighting.

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McMicken’s upbeat “These Days” as the opener for the show brought the crowd into a dancing frenzy, starkly contrasting his later led, beautifully pained “Too Weak to Ramble,” which almost everyone in the crowd sang sorrowfully along with him, completely caught up in emotion.

Covering all of their bases (and material from all their releases) in true Dr. Dog fashion, the band did Lawrence proud. They must have sensed it, too, McMicken simply looking out at everyone at the end of a song and shouting “Lawrence f*cking Kansas.”

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That’s all it took to get men and women of all ages screaming, arms swinging wildly and high-fiving and puffs of smoke and vapor blanketing the floor. After chanting for an encore, which they happily obliged with three more songs, McMicken also kindly made sure to get the crowd to sing “Happy Birthday” to their lights guy (he deserved it, the lights amped the experience).

Note: Opening for Dr. Dog was New Jersey’s Saint Rich.

Set list:

These Days

Love

Broken Heart

Ain’t It Strange

The Beach

Shadow People

Worst Trip

Heavy Light

Too Weak to Ramble

The Truth

That Old Black Hole

Cuckoo

Long Way Up

Jackie Wants a Black Eye

Heart It Races

The Rabbit, The Bat, and The Reindeer

Lonesome

Encore:
How Long Must I Wait

Nellie

Oh No