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Friday, March 29, 2024
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Fans traveled from all over the country to see Dismemberment Plan's first show in four years.

Punk band reunites for high-profile benefit shows

D.C.'s own Dismemberment Plan packs Black Cat to raise money for muscular dystrophy

A number of factors made the April 28 Dismemberment Plan concert at the Black Cat mindbogglingly significant to D.C. independent music. One factor is that the Dismemberment Plan is the best musical secret D.C. has ever kept. Although flirtations with major label Interscope Records occurred while recording its third album, the Dismemberment Plan remained with D.C.-based independent record label DeSoto Records for all four of its albums through the band's 10-year career. That's right, the Dismemberment Plan broke up in late 2003, with its "last" show at the 9:30 club.

"The Plan," as fans affectionately call the band, decided to reform for two benefit shows for the infant son of the band's longtime producer J. Robbins. His son, Callum, suffers from muscular dystrophy, an incurable genetic disease. J. Robbins has affected and influenced countless D.C. musicians with his band Jawbox and other producing work. It was no surprise the Dismemberment Plan shows were just two in a slew of shows benefiting Callum's cause. Due to the Plan's increased popularity in the indie rock world recently, these two shows are probably the band's most high profile yet.

Fans and critics agree that the Dismemberment Plan was composed of some of the most innovative independent rock musicians of the last decade. Pitchfork Media credited the band with inspiring the dance-punk revival of the early 21st century (bands like The Rapture and Bloc Party) due to the band's liberal application of open high hats on offbeats. Stylus Magazine even published an online article titled "10 Reasons Why The Dismemberment Plan Mattered," which explained in detail why the band was so exceptional.

To describe any one of the Plan's albums, let alone the band's sound as a single entity, is nearly impossible due to the variety of sonic directions that the band explores. The band incorporates unconventional rhythms, hip-hop vocal proficiency, indie pop melody and funk flavor to create something that sounds very little like anything other than the Dismemberment Plan. Each song is a different amalgamation of superbly reinterpreted influences that still somehow ends up sounding like the Dismemberment Plan. As a result, the band's records are glorious mosaics due to their consistent stylistic departures.

The combination of the band's percolating popularity combined and the fact that this was a two- show tour built hype for this benefit. The tickets for the first show sold out in less than a minute. Scalpers asked for as much as $300 per $15 ticket. Ben Gibbard, Death Cab For Cutie vocalist and former Plan tourmate, even made an appearance. The buzz generated for these concerts was the type only a band with the stage presence of the Dismemberment Plan could possibly live up to.

Despite four years on hiatus, the band destroyed any preconceived notion that it wasn't about to achieve every drop of its former glory. After spending four years playing in musical projects that hadn't lived up to the Plan's legacy, (lead singer Travis Morrison's solo debut "Travistan" earned a '0.0' score from Pitchfork Media) the Plan boys were all smiles for the entirety of both nights. They played as tightly as ever, even when gear malfunctions made mid-song jokes necessary. The crowd consisted of a local audience as well as a countrywide and international crowd. They made it clear that those in attendance were only the biggest Plan fans. Pornographically-decorated cake also helped keep the crowd entertained.

Both shows featured unique set lists that balanced the bands punk styled songs from its first album, "!," with the genre shredding intensity that made up the band's latter two albums, "Emergency & I" and "Change." My only complaint is that songs from the bands second album, "(The Dismemberment Plan) Is Terrified" were limited to "The Ice of Boston" during which it is tradition for half the crowd to join the band onstage. The majority of the tracks came from "Emergency & I" which is, arguably, the band's "Velvet Underground and Nico" due to the reinvention and high quality consistent on each song. Fan favorites "Gyroscope" and "The City" generated particularly loud crowd sing a longs, although every song had its own crowd-generated soundtrack. Both nights' set lists even featured the disco spazz-out, filled B-side "The Dismemberment Plan Gets Rich."

Although the Dismemberment Plan isn't going to be playing other shows any time soon, the band did satisfy its hardcore fans as well as fans it had generated since its breakup. Hopefully, the band will have another reunion show for another great benefit in 10 years when, inevitably, every indie rock band sounds just like The Plan.


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