Words: Miljan Milekić
I would lie If I’d say I grew up listening to Dog Eat Dog. I didn’t. I was well into my twenties when I got into them, but instantly became a fan, since the moment I gave them a real chance, and actually listened to their music. So, every chance to see them live is a welcomed one, and this time, the location was Pančevo, a small town in the south of Vojvodina province, near the Serbian capital Belgrade. It’s the first edition of the brand new festival – Wrong Fest and Dog Eat Dog were chosen to headline Saturday night.
From the very beginning of the show, the five-piece did what they do best – got the party going, storming in with ‘In The Doghouse,’ and ‘Pull My Finger.’ It didn’t take long for the crowd to fire up, and from there, it felt like everything was over in a blink of an eye. The band looked super-happy on stage, while the frontman, John Connor, was in his element. It was less than seconds into the show before he noticed a fan in a wheelchair in the front row, run over to him, gave him his snap-back, took another one from the guy standing next to them, and got back on the stage before anyone realized what’s going on. Next thing you know, he was spraying everyone with a water gun.
Fun is at the core of Dog Eat Dog. They are not as nearly as big as they were back in the 90s, but they spend most of the year on the road, and it seems like they enjoy every minute of it. Their music is fun, their shows are fun, and although they do tackle some serious topics, they spread nothing but good vibes. And they have enough firepower to do it day-in, day-out. Their 1994′ debut ‘All Boro Kings’ is timeless, and they have quite enough cult songs to keep the crowd going. Classics such as ‘Think,’ ‘Who’s The King?’ ‘Rocky,’ ‘Step Right In,’ ‘Isms,’ or ‘If These Are Good Times’ were joined by new songs ‘Lumpy Dog,’ and ‘Vibe Cartel.’
Traditionally, the biggest crowd reaction came in towards the end when the band delivered ‘Expect The Unexpected,’ legendary ‘No Fronts,’ and ‘XXV’ which closed down the set. However, I’d like to go back to the ‘No Fronts,’ as at that point, this became more than just a show. Back in 2014, Dog Eat Dog played a club show in Belgrade, with support from the Serbian rap-rock band Iskaz. During that show, Zoran, the frontman of the above-mentioned band told the story about learning English by listening to ‘All Boro Kings’ when he was a kid and his dream to bring the band to his hometown. Zoran is from Pančevo, he is one of the people behind this festival, and not only he succeed in bringing the band, but he joined them on stage during the legendary hit.
Next year, Dog Eat Dog will celebrate their 30th anniversary as a band, they announced they have a brand new album on the way and promised a big European tour. So far, they have never broken their promise, and there is no reason not to believe them. We’re waiting for the dates. Wrong Fest, on the other hand, seems like a breath of the fresh air with the lineup that included acts like Dope D.O.D, Delinquent Habits, Rolo Tomassi, Deez Nuts, Onyx, and Good Is An Astronaut, but it still has a long way to go. There were quite a few things that need to be fixed in the next years, but I firmly believe they are already aware of them.
