Chris Brokaw is an accomplished musician who, aside from his work as a solo performer and his time in the bands Codeine and Come, has collaborated with a number of musicians over the course of his career, including Thurston Moore, Stephen O’Malley, Evan Dando, Tamikrest, Ryley Walker, Johnny Depp and even GG Allin. So it only seems natural that he would collaborate with Brokeback on this current tour, especially considering that he and Brokeback mastermind Doug McCombs had previously worked together in Pullman.
Brokaw opened the show with a solo set and played to a small but attentive crowd, the main floor being practically empty as most people either sat around the side or hung back by the bar. The crowd grew a bit by the time Brokeback came on but was still somewhat sparse – I guess the rain kept some folks away. Brokaw played an impressive set, with the standouts being “Danny Baracho” and “She’s A Fucking Angel (From Fucking Heaven),” the latter of which he dedicated to his wife.
After a short break, Brokaw returned to the stage with headliners Brokeback. Throughout their set, there was a lot of instrumental prowess on display, as well as extensive use of the whammy bar. McCombs and Brokaw are both impressive players. They’re good enough on the guitar that you could conceivably refer to what they do as guitar heroics, though they’re not too showy or in your face about it. They use their powers for good rather than over the top shredding.