6.11.93 for the Pittsburg Post-Gazette

Rainy evenings always create an ambiance far beyond the ability of clubs to exploit. Too much rain means a smaller crowd but more intimacy, while just enough rain adds a certain drama to every situation, especially if lightning is crashing all around you.

Two hundred people ignored the weather outside Rosebud Monday night. Most were seasoned folkies who could recite WYEP's program schedule in their sleep. Still, an air of nervous formality dominated the low-level buzz which accompanied the Pittsburgh debut of the Wallflowers.

Breaking into an undermiked, but energetic version of "Ashes to Ashes," the Wallflowers made up with sonic dexterity and gritty textures what it lacked in animation and good posture.

At center stage, Jakob Dylan juggled the unspoken expectations of his birthright, with the responsibilities of being a front man.

Standing in the spotlight, he narrowed his eyes and squinted above the crowd, cooly defying the desire of some that he magically transport them to Greenwich Village 1962 to one of his father's Bleeker Street hootenannies.

Applauding politely after "Sugarfoot" and a new song "Angel On My Bike," the crowd finally came alive during a static-filled version of the Velvet Underground's "Pale Blue Eyes" thanks to Rami Jaffee's Al Kooper--style Hammond organ licks and guitarist Tobi Miller's peeling chord work.

"The restaurant is throwing us for a little bit of a loop," Dylan offered with a smile. "It's not a place we play a lot, but we're having the best time of the whole tour."

Jaffee was within inches of stealing the whole show after his deft finger work on the brooding "Hollywood" when Dylan broke into a positively Springsteenian version of the Replacements' "Here Comes A Regular," an odd and inspired cover if ever there was one.

"Before we were the Apples," Dylan said referring to the band's pre-Wallflowers name, "We were the Band."

Immediately the quintet launched into the opening chords of Robbie Robertson's "The Weight," with Dylan singing Levon Helm's part with an intensity that clearly gratified both band and audience. Even Jaffee's insistent keyboards sounded more like Garth Hudson than idol Al Kooper for once.

After "Sidewalk Annie," the Wallflowers encored with a new song, "Little Broken Fingers" that could've been an outtake from Bob Dylan's "New Morning."

It was followed by a blistering cover of Gene Vincent's "Brand New Cadillac." The applause was thunderous and heartfelt as the Wallflowers quickly retreated through the backstage door.

"Rami is awesome," said Lysa Pruitt, who cuts hair while wearing lingerie at a salon called Victor's Secret. "I took piano at one time so that's all I heard," she said. "He ought to go out on his own."

Even after meeting his new-found fan, the L.A. native refused to contemplate a future that didn't include the Wallflowers. "I could've played with Lenny Kravitz," Jaffee said. "I used to play with some of the guys from Jane's Addiction. But I believe in these songs and I'm here for the duration, because no one is writing songs like these anymore, songs that have room for a Hammond organ and me."

Backstage, Dylan toweled his short cropped hair and relaxed, relief outweighing the poker face he wore 90 minutes earlier. "That was a good show," he said.

"The audience did catch onto us, didn't they?"

The band agreed it was a great show. Dylan smiled and stood up. "Man, I'm going out to mingle a bit," he said.

"We're all starting to believe we're on our way," Jaffee said. "Given enough time we know we can make a name for ourselves on our own terms."