Photo of Sam Cieri of Nicotine Dolls live at Delmar Hall by Laura Jerele
This show came highly recommended, and damn, whoever told me to get myself to Delmar Hall to see Nicotine Dolls was absolutely right. One of the most genuinely fun, flat-out unpredictable shows I’ve seen in a while. And I mean that in the absolute best way.
Right off the bat, I gotta say that Sam Cieri has a voice that stopped me in my tracks. Raspy, powerful, and with a range that honestly shouldn’t be legal. Think ’80s legend Michael Bolton levels of vocal drama, with a dash of Robert Plant, but cool about it. Does he know how talented he is? He’s got this effortless approachability that makes you feel like you’re hanging out with a friend who wants to play every song they know for you—and they don’t suck! Behind him, guitarist John Hays, bassist John Merritt, and drummer Abel Tabres played with the mix of originals and covers made for a setlist that was as much fun as it was unpredictable.
The originals held their own against everything else on the setlist, which is saying something. “Anna,” “Just Enough,” and “Next to Me” were flat out good songs, and then there’s “Wild,” their new one, which is gritty and sexy and the kind of song that makes you want to know everything else they’ve ever written, or at least that’s how I felt! These guys can write, and it shows. But they’re all obviously massive fans of all kinds of music because of the seriously fun covers they threw in throughout the night.
The covers? Oh, the covers! These were fun and unexpected… they played “Dream On,” “Man in the Mirror,” which started as a solo acoustic moment with just Cieri and his guitar, genuinely beautiful, until the keyboardist quietly started playing along. Sam stopped, looked over, completely deadpan, and said “Whoa, where did you come from?” and then just lost it laughing. That’s the kind of moment you can’t manufacture, and it’s stuff like that that makes live music so memorable. A.I. can’t do that, and this is why we love live shows! They ripped into a stellar version of “Simply the Best” and gave Tina Turner a serious run for her money, ballsy to do here in the Lou if you ask me! I loved their full commitment and pure joy of just having fun with their show.
Near the end of the night, Cieri stepped off the stage, walked into the crowd without a microphone, just him and his guitar, and straight up told everyone he expected them to sing every single word of the next song. Not mouth it. Not pretend. Sing. Every. Word. And the song? “Believe” by Cher. No, seriously. That man had all of Delmar Hall singing “Believe” a cappella at the top of their lungs while swooning with him standing three feet away. It was ridiculous. It was perfect. I loved every second of it. They closed the night by teasing that they were about to play one of the greatest songs ever written, and then tore into “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin. Spot on and absolutely killer. A fitting end to a night that was equal parts unexpected, laugh-out-loud funny, and genuinely impressive. Nicotine Dolls clearly love music—like, really love it—and it shows. Do yourself a favor and go see them next time they make a stop in town. Worth the recommendation for sure.
Emily Justin opened the show, and was an unexpected powerhouse with a gravelly, soulful voice that felt like it was pulled straight out of another era (think Amy Winehouse meets heavy blues rock), and she owned every second of her set. Her sound was this killer mix of heavy rock and raw blues that hit me because she was both impressive and adorable, and her presence was the kind you just don’t look away from. She plays, she sings with vulnerability and is quite a good songwriter. A seriously kick ass way to kick off the night. | Laura Jerele
