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What made Friday night’s sold-out Afghan Whigs show at the 9:30 Club so memorable? Was it lead singer Greg Dulli wading into the crowd and donning someone’s fedora during “See & Don’t See?” Was it the way they teased “The End” by The Doors before performing a driving version of “Gentleman,” or how the first chorus of “Edge of 17” by Stevie Nicks led into “Debonair,” complete with audience singalong? Was it the even more feverish singalong during the chorus of “Citi Soleil?”
Or maybe it was the encore.
When the Whigs returned to the stage following their main set, Dulli offered some thoughts on the encore process, “as we got some shit last night.” He was referring to the band’s Philadelphia show, where they didn’t come back for an encore. “Encore is a word whose French origins come from motherfuckers going crazy,” Dulli said. “Currently, encore seems to mean, ‘They are coming back.’ Well, we ain’t coming back unless it’s the motherfucking French version of encore which is, ‘We played our asses off.'” That encore wound up with a blistering version of “Faded,” with a coda of—-wait for it—-Prince‘s “Purple Rain.” Had Dulli gone Jim Jones-like at that point, it’s a safe bet the audience would have followed.
Check out the gallery to see photos from the Afghan Whigs and opener School of Seven Bells.