I've seen Dave Davies live only once, playing lead guitar with the Kinks at the Beacon Theater back in 1986. It was one of the best concerts I've ever seen and not just because of the great singer but also because of the first heavy metal guitarist, a monster riff machine and a titan of rock and roll, the uncomparable Dave. Think I'm overstating the case? Go fuck yourself.
And though Dave claims to be always touring, I can only remember hearing about one concert in nyc in the past coupla years and I missed it.
But I won't make that mistake again.
If all he ever did was the great opening riff to "You Really Got Me", he'd be considered a giant rock and roll guitarist and innovator but take a look at this article of his ten greatest riffs and gasp in amazement, Just the names get your ears tingling, "All Day and All Of The Night", "Lola" , "Destroyer". back when I was a youngster we called this giving Eddie Van Halen a career. The thickness of the Kinks sound, against the delicateness of Ray's sensibility, was a gift to us all and an open door everybody from the stones and the Kinks to Van Halen and Metallica walked right through.
I have seen lead Kinks singer and songwriter Ray Davies countless times over the years but Dave? Dave is always the kid brother despite having written "Suzannah's Still Alive", "Death Of A Clown" . Which means Dave 2, Ray 4289 by my reckoning. And by Ray's reckoning since the egomaniac treated Dave like crap and Dave never forgave him, ignoring anniversary after anniversary while Ray tried to make nice.
We reposted an interview from the UK Daily Mail back in November 2010 where one of many Dave lines was "He (Ray) got a kick out of grinding me into the ground."
So since a Kinks reunion seems somewhat doubtful, Dave Davies at City Winery on Tuesday, May 28th, 2013 is an absolute positively no doubt must see. Dave is 66 years old and, despite claims that he is constantly touring, who knows when he passes this way again.