Dangerous, Dirty, and Unfun

So I saw the inimitable Butch Walker last night at the Paradise in Allston. You remember B-Dub, he of DD&U’s Fifth Favorite Album of the Decade. He’s a tremendous showman, and it was a dynamite performance. My only complaint: he didn’t play the song that he’s presently most famous for, his cover of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me.”

Oh well. He more than made up for it. Have you ever been to a performance by a guy that used to be in another band? I’ve seen Straylight Run and Fred Mascherino (both late of Taking Back Sunday), as well as Jack’s Mannequin (whose frontman, Andrew McMahon, was, obviously, the singer for Something Corporate). I go to these shows because I think the music these artists put out is really good. But every time, there’s something in the back of my head wishing desperately to hear some of the old tunes. (Full disclosure: when I saw Jack’s Mannequin, they played “Me and the Moon,” but let’s be honest with each other, precious readers: “Me and the Moon” isn’t “Hurricane,” and it’s most definitely not “Konstantine.” So, you know.) I understand this is unfair of me. After all, the whole reason John Nolan, for instance, went off and started a new band was to avoid playing Taking Back Sunday songs.

So you can imagine my delight when Butch Walker, former frontman of Marvelous 3, sat down behind the piano and played one of that band’s best songs, “Cigarette Lighter Love Song.” Excellent tune. Listen to it live below, as well as Butch recounting a bit of the story of his travels through the record industry. Enjoy.