Photo Credit: SOHN

Taper’s Choice celebrated Halloween over the weekend with a two-night stand at Gold Diggers in Los Angeles. For this year’s spooky celebration, the group launched its first-ever Taper’s Ball at the Santa Monica Blvd. location in East Hollywood. As alluded to by the duality of black-and-white invitations shared by the group back in mid-August, the first evening, Oct. 27, received a dark theme, while the band’s follow-up on Oct. 28 saw polarity from night one and brought the light.

Thursday night, Oct. 27, began with the original “The Dave Test” before the band moved into their second number, “Running From the Rain,” which bled into the first cover for the group – Alex Bleeker (Real Estate), Dave Harrington (Darkside), Chris Tomson (Vampire Weekend) and Zach Tenorio Miller (Arc Iris) – who landed on a debut of Pink Floyd’s “Breathe.” The latter ran back into “Running From the Rain” before they ended up returning to Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon album with an inaugural performance of “On the Run.”

The original “Darkness on the Edge of Midtown” came next and assisted in laminating the night’s theme. For the final number of their initial set, the band landed on “Lick the Toad” prior to the set break. Upon returning to the stage for their second frame, Taper’s Choice began with a return to “Darkness on the Edge of Midtown.” “Every Bubble” arrived next and popped into “Born to Burst.” Then a full-blown “Dark Jam” occurred before they worked their way out of the instrumental twist and turns and arrived on the final Pink Floyd number, a debut of “Any Colour Like You.” For the night’s last song, Taper’s Choice performed “Walking Around.”

As the sun rose on Friday morning and brought the light, so did Taper’s evening set. A follow-up to the first night’s dark theme, the band decided on polarity for their second consecutive evening on stage at Gold Diggers, which began with “The Dave Test” into “Lick the Toad.” They ran through “Impossible Sound” next, ahead of the set ending “Above the Timberline.”

After a break from the stage, the ensemble returned and dug into a debut cover of The Velvet Underground’s “I’m Waiting for the Man.” The unit of jammers followed with “Lilac Palace” before a fitting “Light Jam.” Next, the group returned to The Velvet Underground’s original material with a sparkling take on “Venus in Furs” off the 1967 album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, before the final number of their Taper’s Ball and Halloween Weekend stand, the self-written “Doner Wrap.” 

Scroll down to see the complete setlist from Taper’s Halloween weekend gigs.

Tapers Choice 

Gold Diggers – Los Angeles 

Oct. 27, 2022 

Set I: The Dave Test, Running From the Rain > Breathe* > Running From the Rain, On the Run*, Darkness on the Edge of Midtown, Lick the Toad 

Set II: Darkness on the Edge of Midtown, Every Bubble > Born to Burst, Dark Jam, Any Colour You Like*, Walking Around 

Notes:

* Pink Floyd cover 

Tapers Choice 

Gold Diggers – Los Angeles 

Oct. 28, 2022 

Set I: The Dave Test > Lick the Toad, Impossible Sound, Above the Timber 

Set II: I’m Waiting for the Man^, Lilac Palace, Light Jam, Venus in Furs^, Doner Wrap 

Notes:

^ Velvet Underground cover