This year’s shows (5 of them in total) took place at the Middle East club in Cambridge, MA. In early 2000, they played a few years at Axis Boston, but the Middle East is a bit more “intimate.” If you’ve never been to a show at the Middle East, it’s kind of like watching a concert in someone’s basement because, well, you’re in a basement. The ceilings are low, there are pipes everywhere, people are packed in shoulder-to-shoulder, the temperature is in the upper 90’s, and the humidity is about 99% (thanks to the mosh pit and raging fans). If you’re claustrophobic (or paranoid about escaping a room quickly in an emergency) this is NOT the place for you. Check out the pics/videos below and you can get a feel for how tight it really is in there.

If you haven’t seen the BossTones in concert, you’ve truly missed out…they are a phenomenal live band. Dicky Barrett always whips the crowd into a frenzy, and keeps things entertaining with his banter between songs. This show (like the six others I’ve been to in the past) did not disappoint. The band didn’t show any signs of rust (despite their ~4-year hiatus) and they tore up the place for about an hour and a half. They played a variety of songs (new and old). Here are the ones that I can remember (in no particular order):

• 1-2-8
• Royal Oil
• Hope I Never Lose My Wallet
• The Impression That I Get
• Where’d You Go
• The Rascal King
• Allow Them
• Simmer Down
• Do Something Crazy
• You Gotta Go
• Doves and Civilians
• Someday I Suppose
• Kinder Words
• Everybody’s Better
• He’s Back
• Toxic Toast
• Lights Out

About halfway through the show, Dicky announced that there was a special guest in the house. From the crowd emerged Peter Wolf, well known for fronting the J. Geils Band (you know…Musta Got Lost, Freeze Frame, Centerfold, etc.). Dicky mentioned that the first concert he ever attended was a J. Geils Band show back in the day and that Peter was a big inspiration for him. Peter went on to sing a slightly ska-ish version of “Give It To Me” with the band. Peter even managed to mix in a reference to “Repunzel/Reputa” while performing (random…but funny). I was never a huge J. Geils fan, but it was cool to see Dicky recognize, and perform with, one of his inspirations.

One of the best parts of the evening (for me) came when the show was over & we were hanging out waiting for the coat check line to wind down. There were only about 50 people left in the club when we noticed that a few members of The BossTones were mingling with fans. I managed to flag down Dicky and my buddy Brad snapped a quick photo for the archives (nice!).

That’s another great thing about The BossTones, they’ve never forgotten where they came from. The Hometown Throwdowns are all about giving back to the local fans. With 8 guys in the band, they certainly can’t be making much money on these tiny shows, but that doesn’t appear to be an issue with them. When the Hometown Throwdowns come around, The BossTones always recruit up-and-coming local bands to open up for them (even though they could attract larger household names). It’s cool to see them supporting others like: Street Dogs, Gimme Danger, The Shods, etc.

All in all, this was a great way to end the 2007 holiday season. Well worth the $30 admission price (if you were lucky enough to avoid the Craiglist/eBay/Stubhub scalpers like we were). If you’re a BossTones fan, you owe it to yourself to get out to one of these Throwdowns in the future (assuming they’ll have others). If you’re not lucky enough to get in, well I guess you could
always pick up a copy of Live From the Middle East and skank around in your basement (just don’t forget the Christmas lights, humidifiers, and plastic santas).

Here are some pics and videos from the show. FYI, the video quality is pretty crappy b/c I was using the video function on my digital camera. I was also on the fringe of the mosh pit, which is why it’s a little shaky. Enjoy! -Garrett

Cherokee breaks through the ice, but manages to claw its way out.

How do you get rid of your old shed?….well, fire up your Jeep and smash into it of course! I wonder how many nails he pulled out of his tires afterwards?

Jeep tries to cross a raging river and is quickly swept downstream. I don’t think pulling the drain plugs is going to help much on this one.

This Jeep is rocking and you’re just waiting for the axle or u-joint to explode…wish the video lasted another 30 secs.

Grand Cherokee makes this section of Hell’s Revenge look easy.

Wrangler comes close to flipping over backwards.

This guys makes it look easy (a lot of flex needed to get through this crack).

This old Waggy gets some pretty good air.

Just testing the rollcage….yep, it works.