Old Crows
Just a short walk from the offices of Real Detroit Weekly, D-Days found ourselves inside the Royal Oak Music Theatre last Thursday evening for a celebration of all things old-timey. Old Crow Medicine Show was headlining the venue and they successfully carried us back to ol' Virginny with the help of their stand-up bass, fiddles, banjos and harmonicas. Lead singer and head violinist Ketch Secor entertained the crowd with his acute knowledge of the city – we found it especially adorable when he mentioned "Tramhamck" – and asked between every other song what the score to the Tigers game was. The band jammed for over an hour, performing hits new and old, but it wasn't until the second to last song that their signature tune "Wagon Wheel" was played. Though they closed the set out one song later, it didn't take much to get the boys back on stage for an encore that consisted of three songs, all of which we were glad we stuck around for.

Deftones, Up Close and Personal
After opening for System of a Down over the summer, metro Detroit had another round of experiencing the Deftones, this time headlining at Royal Oak Music Theatre. As a much more intimate venue, concertgoers had the chance of getting super close to the band – and by super close, we mean crowd-surfing directly into lead singer Chino Moreno's arms as he sang (or screamed) into their faces. Deftones fans are some of the most die-hard out there, so the crowd went absolutely wild to hear track after track from 2000's White Pony, the band's highest-selling (and arguably the best) album to date. All of that may change though, as Koi No Yokan hits the market shortly. Once we heard the first minute of the new single, "Tempest", we lost our heads all over again. If you thought the studio version was incredible, just wait until you hear it live. Minds officially blown.

Gato Loco
D-Days once again found themselves at the Royal Oak Music Theatre Saturday night, but this time the music was a little less country and even less rock. Ms. Chan Marshall, better known as Cat Power, took the stage around 11 p.m. and performed – almost in total – her new album, Sun. Stunning audience members with a new blonde mohawk (a vast difference from the long, brown 'do she seemed to be forever known for), she experienced some sound problems initially. But her set didn't suffer, and although she only played one older tune (an almost unrecognizable version of "I Don't Blame You"), the audience seemed pretty well-versed in her new tracks. And judging by just how much sing-along-ing we heard going on, there were some pretty big fans in the house. Performing until almost 1 a.m., she ended the set with an extended version of "Ruin", which we were glad she saved for last.

We Creeped for Cheap
The Crofoot was packed to the gills Friday night with thousands of costumed patrons enjoying the fifth annual Creepy Cheapy Halloween Treat, and although D-Days managed to make our way through each and every nook and cranny in the venue, there was just flat-out a ton of folks there! Favorite moments include coming very close to being stomped in on a mosh pit we're not sure how we found ourselves in during one particularly spirited performance, watching a vampire try to coat-check a seven-foot tombstone, getting flashed by Pocahontas in the men's room and just plain people (and costume) watching. With so many great locals acts performing as some of our favorite national acts, our only regret is that we couldn't watch every set all at once! But all-in-all it was a ridiculously fun night. Props should most definitely go out to Pink Lightning performing as Queen, JSB as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Erno the Inferno's killer DJ set on the patio.

DAMNED Delights
We're happy to report that absinthe is as tasty as licorice. We're also happy to report that DAMNED V turned into a damn fine three-day gathering from start to finish. The Tangent/Hastings address was well stocked with paintings, potables and people – plus an encouraging number of works were sold to an appreciative crowd. The Wednesday VIP start saw Meridith Lorde and Lushes LaMoan pouring the wonderful wormwood behind the bar. Satori Circus applied latex with an expert flourish to a pair of inspired stage performers. Dixon's violin sobbed tuneful hymns to the night. VATO, SublimeSubspace, Kristin Industrial-Girl, Charles Alexander and Sharon Layne mingled and mixed. An incredible marathon culinary effort was undertaken by the multi-talented chef – and we are now addicted to spicy Spanish meatballs. Friday's masquerade was joyous ecstasy in ebony and crimson. The revelers danced with nary a thought to the Red Death or Hurricane Sandy or the big, bad Giants from Frisco who showed up Sunday and ... oh, just wait till next year! | RDW