“Stay classy, San Diego,” Dorothy Martin said to her hometown crowd on Sept. 23, quoting the famous “Anchorman” line.
Martin is the lead singer of her eponymous band, Dorothy. Dorothy took on opening duties for Greta Van Fleet, the up-and-coming rock band beginning to turn heads, at the Observatory in North Park. The large, sold-out concert crowd knew as soon as Martin walked on stage that she was ready to rock.
Martin, a San Diego native, was delighted to come home and perform for her locals.
“Fun fact for you guys, I was raised in this city,” Martin told the audience. “This city is so fun. I love it.”
Martin moved to Los Angeles to pursue music, and it’s where she met guitarist Mark Jackson, bassist Gregg Cash, and drummer Zac Morris, forming the band in 2014. This original lineup is quite different than the one today. Dorothy currently consists of Martin, bassist Eliot Lorango, drummer Jason Ganberg and guitarists Owen Barry and Leroy Wulfmeier. Despite these changes, the band has maintained a steady rise in the world of rock.
This opening stint for Greta Van Fleet is the second time Dorothy has opened for the band this year.
“We had so much fun with Greta earlier this year, when they told us they wanted to do it again we were so excited,” she said to the audience.
It was clear that Martin and her bandmates were having fun this time around as well, as they played riffs reminiscent of ‘70s hard rock and metal, while Martin mystified the crowd with her raspy voice, sparkling in a black gown.
2018 has been a big year for Dorothy, who released their sophomore effort “28 Days in the Valley” in March. They also appeared at the Arroyo Seco Music Festival, which was put on by Coachella promoter Goldenvoice, in addition to appearances at Lollapalooza and the Made in LA festival.
The band also recently appeared on the popular late night program “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” where they performed their single “Flawless,” one of the biggest highlights of their set at the Observatory.
“Who Do You Love” and, the band’s closer, “Freedom,” were also standouts of their live show.
The two guitarists and the drummer improvised throughout the set, and during “Freedom,” Martin made an impromptu lyric change, singing “I got my roots deep in San Diego,” rather than the original lyric, “I got my roots deep in California,” which was received with loud cheers from the hometown crowd.
By the time Martin and her band had left the stage, the crowd was charged up for headliner Greta Van Fleet, and Dorothy had made their mark on their hometown crowd.
