Perpetual Groove and Tire Fire Rock New World Tampa
[Endless thanks to Phil Ross for his photographs!]
Moongoddess Entertainment jumped back into the concert promotion business in a big way with a superb packed show at New World Tampa May 24 featuring Perpetual Groove and Tire Fire. Both groups had plenty of fans there, making for a marvelous evening.
Tire Fire led off, down a member; Arrie Bozeman plays in Tire Tire and The Ain’t Sisters, and she was off with the latter. The five members in attendance felt certain that Bozeman was the one who pumped up the band. Admittedly, she certainly does, but Dani, Trey, Dave, Justin, and Sean picked up ALL the slack and delivered a rousing show to great reception.
Their enthusiasm and vibes are infectious, and by the time they had waltzed through “One Cup of Coffee” and their “hit” tune “Pile of Dust,” they owned the entire crowd. Trey Miller’s lead vocals — and some wicked wah-wah banjo — always light up the stage. The same goes for fiddle wizard Dani Jaye, and the harmonies with Miller and Dani and bass beast Sean Hartley soared. “Two Trains” was a crowd favorite, as was “Full Gospel.”
Guitarist Justin Davis is equally handy with the bass, and often he and Hartley switch, but there was no time for that with a short set. His guitar work was excellent. It’s also worth noting that the entire complexion of the group’s performance elevated after they added drummer and percussionist Dave Gerulat to the mix; he and Hartley lock in the groove so well together.
Miller credited Mario Koury for the song “Broken Strings” before the band played one Miller co-wrote with Chris Critter Ricker, the riotous “Get Off My Lawn.” Then the band shot into hyperdrive for their rendition of OutKast’s “Bombs Over Bagdad,” which always brings down the house. After the great anthem “Alive,” there was time for one more tune. Miller put it to a vote. “Goddamn Mess” won! So much fun this band is!
[TF: One Cup of Coffee, Pile of Dust, Two Trains, That’s on Me, Full Gospel, Broken Strings, Get Off My Lawn, Bombs Over Bagdad, Alive, Goddamn Mess]
We had caught parts of both Perpetual Groove sets on Jam Cruise, but the sound this night was much better, if slightly too loud. The quartet were in outstanding form, alternately blazing prog rock and then dialing it back for some of the band’s best-known tunes. They opened with one of the brand new songs from their EP, the title track “Black Sheep.” Immediately after they dove into the 2005 album All This Everything for “Andromeda,” and it was ON!
During the two hour and ten minute set, they grabbed three songs from Echoes from the Cave (2016), beginning with “Space Paranoids” and then “Suburban Speedball,” which had segued out of the 2022 single “Out Here.” “Playground > Starts > Playground” was the third song from that notable album. Everybody was on fire, but it was difficult not to watch drummer Darren Stanley, whose playing had great flair and purpose.
Adam Perry often stood toward the back of the stage, but his presence on bass was enormous; he and Stanley created powerful magic together. Two songs came from the 2021 album C’mon. Covers? “God is Gonna Cut You Down” was a real ride, and the set closed with “Diggin in the Dirt.”
Matt McDonald was all over his command module of keyboards, most effective on piano and some wild synths. And bandmate Brock Butler, the face of Perpetual Groove, was masterful on guitar, shredding and strumming, taking us back and forth in the PGroove catalog, including “Teakwood Betz” (Sweet Oblivious Antidote 2003) and “Two Shores” (Live Love Die 2007). This was a masterful performance.
[PG: Black Sheep, Andromeda, Space Paranoids, Out Here > Suburban Speedball, Two Shores, Playground > Starts > Playground, God is Gonna Cut You Down, Teakwood Betz, DLZ, Walkin’, Echo > Casa > Best of Anything, Diggin in the Dirt]
Kudos to Perpetual Groove, Tire Fire, Moongoddess Entertainment, New World Tampa, and the full house of fans who ensured the evening’s success.
Let’s do it again!