Welcome to our next music series, centered around Richard Speight, Jr.’s music, as well as his album The Dance and How To Do It by Dick Jr. & the Volunteers.
Much like our previous Louden Swain series, we asked fans a series of questions about Rich’s music and album, and we’ve compiled them into a fun series. Next up, we asked fans what their favorite live performance of Rich’s was. We also might have had the man himself answer the questions, too.
“Begin the Begin” – Atlanta, 2016
Richard Speight, Jr. (@dicksp8jr): “This is not off the album, but it is one of my favorite covers I ever got to do with Louden Swain at a Saturday Night Special…It’s ‘Begin the Begin’ by R.E.M. And why? I dunno. It was an R.E.M. tune we did in Atlanta. And I think we only did it once or twice.”
“Copperhead Road” – Vegas 2018
Natasha (@NatashaCole): “To be honest, any live performance he does of ‘Copperhead Road’ is so fun.”
“Seven Bridges Road” – Denver, 2015
Kaity (@RogersThatCaptn): “‘Seven Bridges Road’ has been and always will be one of my favorite SNS songs ever performed. Yeah, I know it’s not Rich-centric, but he stands in the center so it kind of is.”
“Paint It Black” – Chicago 2010
Lindsey (@lindyysolo): “His cover of The Rolling Stones’ ‘Paint It Black’. You know how there are just some songs that somebody was meant to cover and sing? Yeah, this is one of them for Rich.”
“24 Hours A Day” – Los Angeles, 2019
Briar (@thebriarroseee): “While there’s no video from Jacksonville for the performance of ’24 Hours A Day’ I’m talking about, I’m cheating and using this video instead. In Jax, it was so special to see Rich perform a song off of his new album on the weekend that the album dropped. The energy in the room and in the crowd (especially our dance pit on the side of the stage) was incredible.”
Priscilla(@SuperWho_Lock1): “Album release party. ‘Cautionary Fairytale’ specifically (starts at 20:30.)”
“Copperhead Road” – Montreal 2018
Emma (@simplyreflected): “This was the first time I ever saw him perform live and it reminds me of that whole con. His energy was electric that night as it is every time he performs.”
“Copperhead Road” – Charlotte 2018
Sarah (@wyldefandom): “While I have never personally seen him perform live yet, I am basing this off the multiple YouTube videos I have watched that people have posted. While I really want to put ‘Where’s Misha?’ here, I will go with when he sings ‘Copperhead Road.’ I love the song, and he has the perfect voice for it and always looks like he is having so much fun while performing it.”
“Copperhead Road” – Minneapolis, 2018
Emma (@preserveroftime): “This was only my second or third convention. I didn’t realize how much of a rock star Rich was until that performance.”
“16 Tons” – Los Angeles, 2019
Rain (@writteninrain): “The one that meant the most to me was his encore at The Roxy show. ‘16 Tons’. Rich’s version owes a lot to the cowpunk styled take by The Cactus Brothers but I know it best by Tennessee Ernie Ford, my Dad’s favourite singer. Before the LA show, the last time I heard it was in my Dad’s funeral. It was cathartic to hear it at The Roxy, and it helps so much that I now associate it with one of the happiest nights of my life. Plus, Rich rocked it.”
Bernadette (@Flutterbee72): “The whole Roxy gig.. Not lucky enough to be there but it was great to see the album showcased so beautifully with the full band, fantastic lighting and an amazing atmosphere that reached through the screen to pull the viewer in.”
“Copperhead Road” – Los Angeles, 2019
Becca (@BreakMyDreams): “‘Copperhead Road’ at The Roxy, it’s a song that we’ve heard Richard perform quite a few times, but this was marked the unveiling of the Volunteers take on the song. We knew we were listening to something special from the very first notes of the song and they did not disappoint with the performance. We’d just gotten the first album, and he was already blowing our minds with the idea of what the second album could contain.”
“Copperhead Road” – New Jersey, 2018
Dayna (@darkfireunicorn): “This is the first time I saw him sing live and was blown away!”
“In The Pines” – Los Angeles, 2019
Jessica (@jessica_capasso): “‘In the Pines’ from The Roxy show. The amount of emotion that he puts into his voice and body language just exudes from the performance and takes my breath away.”
Jessica (@JessicaKate413): “‘In The Pines’ because it sounds so good. He really does that song justice with his gruff singing voice.”
Julia (@willow_row): “That would have to be his album party at The Roxy, specifically ‘In The Pines’. That song has been a favorite of mine for years from Nirvana Unplugged, and being able to hear the grit in Rich’s voice performing it live was huge for me. God, what a great gig.”
“Sliver” – Dallas, 2019
Miranda (@miranda9995): ” I have to choose the one I saw live, so that’s gonna be ‘Sliver’ at SPN Dallas 2019. I just love how into the song he gets and that Rob sings with him. Get it, Rich!”
Jana (@datajana): “My favorite is Dallascon 2019, singing Nirvana’s ‘Sliver’ with Rob and Louden Swain.”
“Cecilia” – Rome, 2014
Laurie (@LauriePC): “His cover of ‘Cecilia’ with Rob is definitely one of my favorite performances of him ever. I love that song, and I love Rob and Rich doing duets.”
“Take It Easy” – Houston, 2016
Judy (@LAgirlHD): “This was the first video [I saw] of Rich singing and I immediately fell in love with his voice!”
“Living At Night” – Vegas, 2020
Rianna (@RiannaMelton): “I haven’t seen Rich perform in person near as much as I would like to, but seeing him do ‘Living at Night’ at SPNLV this year was fantastic! Even though he was fresh off the plane from a terrifying trip, he still came on and rocked the house! He could have just as easily decided to not come to the con just to perform a song or to so he recoup instead, but his dedication to his fans, his art, and to his costars is admirable!”
