Photos and review by: Jason Robey

CHARLOTTE, NC — The jam-band quintet Dogs In a Pile made a tour stop on Sunday night at the Visualite Theatre in Charlotte, to the delight of a roomful of Queen City Jam fans. The band spent the rest of the weekend in other parts of the state opening for Keller Williams, finishing it off with a headlining show before heading back on the road. 

The night started with a set by West Virginia band The Kind Thieves. Their unique bluegrass-tinted funk rock sound got the crowd dancing early on, with an hour-long set filled with danceable riffs and rhythm that set the perfect time for the show. The band ran through an energetic 60 minute list of tunes. A little more electric than a lot of the recorded music the group has out on streaming, the upbeat vibe was perfect to set the tone for the night. 

The room had filled in considerably by the time Dogs In a Pile took the stage, jumping quickly into a cover of “Good Lovin’,” originally by the Young Rascals and likely known to this crowd for the Grateful Dead’s popular version. This was the first of several nods to the Dead in the evening’s set, as they covered “Let It Grow,” as well as John Mayer’s “Something About Olivia,” who has been touring with Dead & Company for the past several years. 

As typical in the jam-band scene, setlists are ever-changing, and songs are often well-known to fans before official recordings are available. Newer, yet-to-be-released jam vehicles like “Crazy” and “Appleseed” were just as welcome as the lone song played from their debut album, Not Your Average Beagle, “Thomas Duncan, pt. 2.” Dogs in a Pile played a 2-hour show, with the closing “Trunk Rum” hitting right up to the 11:15 curfew, as the crowd begged for more.