Oteil Burbridge & Friends Ring in New Year at Brooklyn Bowl
Monday marked the last night of the Oteil & Friends four-night New Year’s run. The supergroup took the stage at Brooklyn Bowl for the second night in a row to ring in the new year with a bang. Oteil put together an incredible group of musicians for this run, with legendary keyboardist Melvin Seals (Jerry Garcia Band), drummer Jay Lane (Wolf Brothers), power-house guitarists Eric Krasno (Lettuce/Soulive) and John Kadlecik (Furthur, Dark Star Orchestra), trumpeter and vocalist Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band), trombonist and vocalist Natalie Cressman (Trey Anastasio Band), and percussionist Weedie Braimah (Trombone Shorty, The Nth Power).
The group of friends opened the first set with a slew of amazing songs, including Bob Dylans’ “Gotta Serve Somebody,” Jerry Garcia Band’s “Cats Under the Stars” and Grateful Dead fan favorite “Scarlet Begonias,” just to name a few. The tight jams, incredible vocals and overall powerhouse presence the group radiated kept the audience engaged, singing and dancing throughout the entire set. The band closed out set one with Little Milton’s “That’s What Love Will Make You Do.”
Set two kicked off with “Reuben and Cherise” and “Eyes Of The World” before Oteil welcomed the talented-beyond-his-years Brandon “Taz” Niederauer to the stage to sit in for “Expressway To Your Heart” and “Turn On Your Lovelight.” The friends then went into their second Dylan cover of the night, doing a beautiful rendition of “Knockin’ On Heavens Door” before bringing Taz back out for “What’s Become Of Mary” and closing out the set with “Bertha.”
Oteil & his friends then treated the crowd to a three-song encore, beginning with “Many Rivers to Cross” and “Unconditional Love” and closing out the night with a venue-wide sing along of “Piece Of My Heart.” You can check out the full setlist and some fan-shot video below!
[Video: Evan Pragliola]
Set 1:
Water in the Desert
Gotta Serve Somebody (Bob Dylan)
Cats Under the Stars (Jerry Garcia Band)
Waiting for a Miracle (Bruce Cockburn)
Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead)
Rhapsody in Red (Jerry Garcia Band)
That’s What Love Will Make You Do (Little Milton)
Set 2:
Rubin and Cherise (Jerry Garcia Band)
Eyes of the World (Grateful Dead)
Expressway to Your Heart (The Soul Survivors) (with Brandon “Taz” Niederauer)
Turn On Your Love Light (Bobby “Blue” Bland) (with Brandon “Taz” Niederauer)
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan)
What’s Become of Mary (Golden Gate Wingmen) (with Brandon “Taz” Niederauer)
Bertha (Grateful Dead)
Encore:
Many Rivers to Cross (Jimmy Cliff)
Unconditional Love (Eric Krasno)
Piece of My Heart (Erma Franklin)