When the Vogue Theatre opened its doors at 7:30 on Saturday night, there was already a line of eager fans down the block – many sporting brightly colored hair, tattoos, and fancy cowboy hats. Groups of delightful weirdos were intermingling and new friendships quickly formed as everyone waited to see Amigo the Devil’s first appearance in Indianapolis since September 2021.
Opening for the folk-punk artist was David Talley, the lead guitar player in the Amigo the Devil band (the rest of whom are not playing on this tour, as Danny Kiranos is performing solo, but who Kiranos joked about bringing on the road with him anyway). Talley played an acoustic set of his original music, his songs melodious and full of pure western-folk vibes – a perfect way to open for an artist like Kiranos, who takes those genres and ups the intensity. Talley showed off great talent in just a twenty minute set, and did a wonderful job setting the crowd up for what was to come.
The second opener was western-pop duo Tele Novella, a pair of musicians from Texas who strive to make songs that are fun and poppy but still have a more classica, whimsy feeling to them. While they felt like a totally different vibe than Talley, their energy was still rocking enough to excite the crowd even further. While they played, the large screen behind them showed seemingly random clips from old movies that just added to the aesthetic and mystique of it all.
As expected by the overall energy that had been building all night, the crowd went wild when Amigo the Devil took the stage. He immediately engaged the crowd, talking about how he was going to sing some sad songs but in a particularly fun way.
His first three songs (“Another Man’s Grave,” “Drop For Every Hour,” and “Murder at the Bingo Hall”) were all off of his third album, “Born Against.” By the time he reached that third song, it became clear – this crowd was engaged, and even more amazingly: this was a crowd packed with real, longtime fans. After singing the second verse of “Bingo Hall,” Kiranos expressed how impressed he was at how well everyone seemed to know the words, and he took a step back from the mic as he encouraged the entire crowd to repeat the verse back at him a cappella. It was almost chilling as the Vogue filled with the sounds of fans in harmony singing:
From the second I walked in I planned my attack,
Three packets in hand, I sat at my usual table in back.
He might’ve been calling the numbers, but I was calling thе shots.
After four in a row I jumped up and yellеd
‘Someone should call the cops, I’m killin’ it!‘
This song also has a portion in which the music drops out entirely for a few long seconds before kicking back in again, and Kiranos announced to the crowd that instead of that part, he was going to tell a story. It ended up being a long-winded joke that drew out for a few minutes before hitting the punchline, and the crowd was still laughing and cheering when he launched into the final part of the song.
This engaged, lighthearted, and jovial mood from Amigo the Devil stayed consistent throughout the night. While the members of the backing band are notably talented, very clearly evident by David Talley’s opening of the night, there is a certain magic to seeing Kiranos perform solo. He switched back and forth between an acoustic guitar and a banjo throughout his set, and by playing a fully acoustic set he was able to do things like take breaks mid-song for jokes and stories as well as playing silly little guitar riffs that deviated from the normal track of the song.
Amigo the Devil played a good mix of songs from all four of his albums, highlighting a few from his newest album, “Yours Until the War is Over,” which the tour is also named after: “Cannibal Within,” the slower “Virtue and Vitriol,” and what would end up being the finale song, “Once Upon a Time at Texaco Pt. 1.” Incredibly, the crowd seemed to know and love these newer songs just as much as some of his older big hits like “Hell and You,” “Dahmer Does Hollywood,” and “Perfect Wife.”
Danny Kiranos has always been known for making his fans feel welcome – for creating a space in which people can be delightfully weird. From the first moments he came out onto the stage, he was encouraging the crowd to be themselves, to sing and dance and enjoy themselves and stop caring how others may look at them for doing so. It was a crowd full of people so different and yet so united by this love for a musician who will always encourage them to be who they truly are.