November 9, 2010: “Who would’ve known that my favorite architecture is in Baltimore. Rented a car and drove around today. This city really has something.” –Courtney Taylor-Taylor, from the DandyWarhols.com blog

Supporting their most recent greatest-hits release, The Capitol Years 1997-2005, The Dandy Warhols came through Baltimore to play at Rams Head Live for their first show in Charm City in 12 years. Starting off slowly with an extended version of “Burn,” the first track from 2009’s Dandy Warhols are Sound remix album, the band steadily gained momentum as they embarked into a marathon two-hour set. Treating it as such, the set included many rises and falls, songs old and new, some familiar, and some obscure.

As the energy rose with “All the Money or The Simple Life Honey,” the hits started coming: “(Tony, This Song is Called) Lou Weed,” “Boys Better,” “Bohemian Like You,” and even “Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth” were some of the mainstream favorites played. “Horse Pills,” featuring keyboardist Zia McCabe’s hidden beat-boxing talents, was one of the early highlights of the night. Frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor treated the audience to a fun anecdote about a methed-out trucker the band once encountered before bursting into a high energy rendition of “The Legend of the Outlaw Truckers AKA The Ballad of Sheriff Shorty” complete with Pete Townshend-style windmills from guitarist Peter Holmstrom.

In typical Baltimore fashion, the audience was no-holds barred, creating some lively banter between audience and band. After being told “You’re hot!” by a random audience member, Zia replied, “You’re high! Oh wait, you said I’m hot? Yeah — I’m hot, you’re high!” After another audience member’s no-so-subtle request, the band succumbed in treating him to a performance of “Cool As Kim Deal” from …The Dandy Warhols Come Down. During a short break, the audience had a bit of fun singing along to an acoustic rendition of “Everyday Should Be A Holiday.”

Closing the set with the psychedelically blissed-out “It’s a Fast Driving Rave Up with the Dandy Warhols,” followed by “Country Leaver,” this Dandy’s fan could not have been more satisfied with the experience. For a greatest hits tour, the set list appropriately spanned The Dandy Warhols’ catalog, playing something for all walks of Dandy’s fans. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take another dozen years for them to return.