Full House: Galactic and Wild Adriatic Play to a Packed Crowd at Brooklyn Bowl!
New York was alive with the spirit of New Orleans this past weekend. Galactic made themselves right at home during a two-night stay at Brooklyn Bowl. For the past two decades, Galactic has been sitting pretty atop the New Orleans jazz and funk scene, and, judging from Friday night’s set, they show no signs of relinquishing the throne.
Brooklyn’s trendy Williamsburg venue was packed wall to wall, but Galactic wasn’t the only attraction on the evening of July 22nd. Grabbing a pre-show drink at the bar, an enthusiastic female stranger approached me and got straight to the point. “You have to get up front. I’m telling you, this band is amazing!” She was clearly excited for the night’s opener, Wild Adriatic, and was on a mission to pump up my fellow bar patrons and me. When a fan is willing to walk around the venue and promote your band to strangers, you’re doing something right. So, I took her advice and headed toward the stage before Wild Adriatic made their entrance.
Good thing I did, because that stranger wasn’t kidding. Wild Adriatic is a power trio out of Saratoga Springs, NY. Since 2011 they’ve been wowing crowds with high-energy sets and making stops at festivals such as Bonnaroo, Gathering of the Vibes and SXSW.
The dynamic rock group has got it all covered. They know their way around the blues, and their soulful sound exudes a nostalgic ’70s vibes. Think Black Keys meets Alabama Shakes meets Led Zeppelin. Wild Adriatic was tireless on stage, encouraging a ton of crowd participation, and the audience enthusiastically responded. This is not the band that you hang around the bar for. Wild Adriatic started the night off right and secured their status as a band to watch.
The crowd was warmed up and ready for the night’s headliner to deliver the funk, and deliver they did. Opening up with “Blackbird Special,” everyone seemed to agree that when Galactic takes the stage, YOU. MUST. DANCE. The band’s touring vocalist is once again New Orleans native Erica Falls. A roaring audience welcomed the singer, and the band quickly dove into crowd-pleaser “Hey Na Na.”
Falls is no stranger to sharing a stage with Galactic, and it shows. The band feeds off of her energy and vice versa. Between Falls’ soulful vocals, Stanton Moore’s ferocious rhythm on the drums and Corey Henry playing that trombone like a weapon, Brooklyn Bowl could’ve been a Frenchmen Street jazz club.
The band alternated between Falls’ vocal offerings and instrumentals throughout the night. They played a handful of tracks from their latest release, Into the Deep, along with older fan favorites. Audience age varied from twenty-something to senior citizen, but age was irrelevant during a fierce performance of “Right On.” Erica Falls’ delivery was as sassy and rousing as Ms. Charm Taylor’s studio album version.
A funk infused interpretation of Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” was a highlight of the set. The crowd had a blast with a danceable rendition of a familiar tune, and the fresh female vocals were a unique and welcomed take on Dylan’s classic folk song.
Falls’ took a short break offstage while the band continued on with “65 Bars and a Taste of Soul.” Though guest vocals are a part of Galactic’s lifeblood, the instrumental strength of this band leaves absolutely nothing to be desired. Eventually the singer returned, and the crowd was thrilled to hear her join the band for a vivacious performance of “Domino.” And, of course, the set couldn’t be complete without some “Shibuya.”
Erica and the band closed things out with the Ya-Ka-May track “Heart of Steel.” Returning momentarily for a double encore (“Cineramascope,” “Going Down Slowly”), Galactic officially ended their show, leaving behind a crowd calling for “one more song!”
Check out the complete set list below, and don’t miss Galactic when they roll through your town. The band continues their tour throughout July and August with Ms. Falls. Tickets available here.
Set List:
“Blackbird Special”
“Hey Na Na”
“Running”
“Out in the Street”
“AP Tureaud”
“Balkan Wedding”
“Theme de Yo Yo”
“Right On”
“Like a Rolling Stone”
“65 Bars and a Taste of Soul”
“Long Live the Borgne”
“From the Corner to the Block”
“Domino”
“Does it Make a Difference”
“Shibuya”
“Heart of Steel”
– – – – – – – – – – – –
“Cineramascope”
“Going Down Slowly”
Tour Dates:
JUL 26 The Chicken Box: Nantucket, MA
JUL 27 The Chicken Box: Nantucket, MA
JUL 29 Newport Jazz Fest: Newport, RI
JUL 30 Flying Dog Brewery Grounds: Frederick, MD
AUG 04 Granada Theater: Dallas, TX
AUG 05 Taos Mesa Brewing: El Prado, NM
AUG 06 Marquee Theater: Tempe, AZ
AUG 07 Telluride Jazz Festival: Telluride, CO
AUG 09 Sky SLC: Salt Lake City, UT
AUG 10 Knitting Factory Boise: Boise, ID
AUG 11 Crystal Bay Club Casino Crown Room: Crystal Bay, NV
AUG 12 San Jose Jazz: San Jose, CA
AUG 13 The Catalyst: Santa Cruz, CA
AUG 14 Belly Up: Solana Beach, CA
AUG 26 People’s Natural Gas Park: Johnstown, PA
AUG 27 LOCKN’ Festival: Arrington, VA
All photographs courtesy of Sobokeh.
