Fans of legendary R&B artist Erykah Badu got to spend an extra hour and a half getting to know each other outside Rochester’s picturesque Kodak Hall at Eastman Center as the 8:00 p.m. scheduled show was delayed due to flight issues.
As the lights dropped around 9:30 p.m. Miss Badu’s band took the stage and quickly entered into a smooth jazzy jam for about ten minutes as the anticipation grew. Badu finally took the stage to a roar and portrayed her vocal mastery through a mishmash of hits and deep cuts deep into the evening hours. A few songs into the set she paused to reflect on her last trip to Rochester many years before and invited the crowd to come down and join her by the stage.
With no soundcheck, no time to prepare, and basically walking from a plane onto the stage, Badu proved her superstar status with an impeccable and flawless performance that will live on until she graces Rochesterian’s with her awe-inspiring presence again.
Rochester Jazz Festival, 2016.
Jazzfest continues all week long with Chick Corea (Tues. June 28), Bruce Hornsby (Wed. June 29), Chris Botti (Thurs. June 30) and Greg Allman (Fri. July 1) filling out the remainder of the Kodak Hall schedule. Check out the full schedule here.
Dentist is an Asbury Park-based indie rock band whose catchy sound blends the best of surf, punk and pop. Think: dreamy vocals, fuzzy guitars and beachy jangle. The band’s 2014 self-titled release received much positive attention, and the four-member group has shared the stage with a variety of national acts, including Jeff the Brotherhood, Laura Stevenson, Television, Screaming Females and many more. And on June 24, Dentist debuted their follow-up album, Ceilings.
A first listen through the 10-track record might leave listeners not knowing what to think — but, after a few additional run-throughs, the album certainly comes to life. Vocalist Emily Bornemann can be compared to Stevie Nicks, and the rest of the band (Justin Bornemann, Nick Kaelbein, Rudy Meier) nicely gels with her signature styling.
There are a few standout tracks on Dentist’s new full-length album. The opening song, “Climbed Too Many Trees,” kicks the record off with a sense of what is to come ahead, offering a great blend of vocals and driving guitar and drums — this song really sets the pace. The second noticeable track, “Over and Over,” slows the album down to an almost complete stop, but after how driving the first few songs are this one is perfectly placed for a nice mid-record breather; and the sheer brilliance of this song coupled with its beautiful melodies might bring on the tears for some. The third ear-catcher is “Joel,” and it seems that this song details a bad breakup with a long-term boyfriend; but, it ends up being more of a feel-good piece once the beat picks up.
Ceilings is definitely worth a listen, as this band has a lot of potential and upside, and any chance to see Dentist live now in intimate hometown settings would be highly recommended before this group bursts through to bigger venues — plus, their tunes provide a perfect soundtrack for summertime escape.
Key Tracks: Climbed Too Many Trees, Over and Over, Joel
On June 12 at the Grand Victory in Brooklyn, NYS Music caught up with Jigsaw Youth, an all-girl punk-garage band from New York City. Offstage they are three unassuming teenagers, but onstage they let it all out as hardcore punk musicians. Hailing from Staten Island and Washington Heights, NY, Jigsaw Youth is made up of Maria Alvarez on bass, Isabella Occhipinti on drums and Nastacha Beck on guitar.
Beck and Occhipinti have known each other since the sixth grade, and upon reconnecting in high school, they decided to start playing music together. Last year, Beck met Alvarez via Tumblr, as she was intrigued by Maria’s blog quote, “If I play the bass in your face, would you jack off?” Sight unseen, Beck bravely reached out to Alvarez who was serious about starting a band; and immediately, Beck, along with the group’s former drummer, Julia Mannarino, began writing songs. A few months later, Jigsaw Youth performed their first shows in NYC, and drummer Occhipinti joined in December 2015. In less than a year, this “grunge body with a punk soul” group has made a name for itself across the United States and abroad.
So, what led this three-piece to form a Nineties-esque punk band? It’s simple — the recurring challenges still relevant today from feminism to the government to social change and teenage angst. But, this is balanced of course with a healthy zest for life and redefining the riot-grrrl movement for today’s generation, as ambitious female musicians like Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill), Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) and Courtney Love (Hole) inspired them. Beck actually met Hanna — her idol — at a House of Bands show in Brooklyn, and shared with Hanna that her band’s moniker was an homage to the Bikini Kill song, “Jigsaw Youth” (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, 1993). Hanna then got up onstage and dedicated her next song to the blossoming band in front of the nearly 800-member audience. Alvarez has also crossed paths with her hero, Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers), and Occhipinti is still vying for the opportunity to meet her icon, Alanis Morissette.
Rocking smartphones, and surprisingly, one flip phone, the ladies of Jigsaw Youth independently market their music on social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, SoundCloud and Tumblr; currently, they are working on getting their sounds on iTunes. (They’ve even received acknowledgements from Hanna and Love via Facebook.) Beck, Alvarez and Occhipinti shared that growing up in an era where the use of technology is required can be overwhelming at times, but all three agree that it’s about having intention when it comes to online posting. As a result of their smart online networking, they have connected with Joey Armstrong’s band Swimmers (SWMRS), who asked to record them for their song, “They Don’t Know,” and have also achieved an international presence. The Swedish webzine, Grrrl Collection, reached out to Jigsaw Youth, and then flew to New York to interview them for an upcoming web series.
When it comes to playing gigs, Alvarez is very proactive at reaching out to local festival creators and online music news outlets; she is not the least bit afraid to send mass emails to venues, radio shows, magazines and record labels. And sometimes organizers reach out to them like the most recent Northside Music Festival, where they shared the Grand Victory bill with Cutters, Luke Halloween: Teenage Halloween Solo and the One Handed Bandits. The band hopes to venture out into more live-music venues, but the challenge of being underage teenagers trying to book shows in Manhattan is often a struggle. They use their creativity to overcome this obstacle by playing house parties on Staten Island where they, “rage in basements.” In the interim, Jigsaw Youth recorded the song “Aunt Jenny’s Got My Back,” and has had four songs recorded by Princeton College Radio, with plans to professionally produce their first album in the near future — after their funds are replenished from senior prom.
With unique personal mottos ranging from “everything is going to be OK” (Beck) to “treat yourself” (Alvarez) and “no risk, no reward” (Occhipinti), their collective advice to other girls wanting to make an impact with their music can only come from shared experience: Have passion, take action, set your mind to it and follow the beat of your own drum, and focus on you and what you’d like to accomplish and success is bound to follow. Jigsaw Youth began their journey in the midst of taking the SAT and applying to colleges, making it possible to juggle school, jobs and music to achieve their goals. Because at the end of the day, it’s all about spreading the message that girls can start bands — and scream, too — without fitting into a cookie-cutter box. Catch Jigsaw Youth live in Staten Island at Killmeyer’s Old Bavaria Inn on July 6 (the annual Rock Out Against Smoking concert) and at the Liberty Tavern on July 21.
Grace Potter brought an eclectic mix of pop, dance and soul music to an enthusiastic crowd at the Saranac Brewery on Friday, June 17. Potter, who parted ways with her band the Nocturnals, has been forging ahead as a solo artist this past year with her album Midnight. Potter and the band’s set covered several songs from Midnight, but also included hits from the Grace Potter and the Nocturnals catalog and covers of upbeat tunes like “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” by Rod Stewart and “When Doves Cry” by Prince.
Photo by Chris Besaw
Potter opened with “Hot to Touch,” followed by “Turntable” and “Empty Heart,” causing the totality of the audience to dance and sing-along. Fans continued singing and dancing through “Apologies” off the Grace Potter and the Nocturnals album This is Somewhere.
Potter was energetic throughout; she danced and engaged the audience the entire show. She often describes her shows as “a dance party” and invites the crowd to move up front to really get the party started. Potter showcased her vocal talents and range in the songs “Delirious” and “Stars.”
Between songs, Potter joked about her days at St. Lawrence University in nearby Canton. “Some of the best nights of my life happened right here in Utica,” she laughed. Potter ended the evening with a four-song encore that included “When Doves Cry” (Prince cover), “Stars” and the fan-favorite “Paris (Ooh La La).”
Set list: Hot to Touch, Turntable, Empty Heart, Your Girl, Apologies, Nothing But the Water, Alive Tonight, Do Ya Think I’m Sexy (Rod Stewart cover), Delirious
Encore: When Doves Cry (Prince Cover), Stars, Instigators, Paris (Ooh La La)
As the latest album from the newly re-imagined folk quartet, Darling Valley, falls into our laps, there is quite a bit of substance undetermined. With this double wife-husband duo, we get all the warm feelings of family and hospitality, even in the freezing climates of Upstate New York, where the four band mates first originated. From their distant years under the name Accents,this group has numerously reshaped their genre, band members and multi-instrumental capabilities to land them where they are now —releasing Crooked Orchards on June 24 through Sounds and Tones Records. The real question is, where, in their transition from Accents to Darling Valley, was their musical peak as an ensemble? To some, it may not be in this new release.
Featuring a plethora of emotional roller coasters, instruments and vocal timbres, this 11-track record was the first step in pulling together what is now Darling Valley. They made their first appearance online competing in the NPR Tiny Desk Competition, where they performed “Widows and Revolutionaries,” which eventually made its way to this album. Their other hit singles are featured on this album as well, including the adorable “Graces” and the uplifting ode to growing pains, “You’ll Go Far, Kid.”
Multi-instrumentalists TJ Foster, Ashleigh Whitfield, Lauren Foster and Jordan Stewart are testaments to a premier ensemble. Their songs are uplifting, while featuring an array of instruments, from mandolin to trumpet. They have the most warming videos, including their newest video release of “You’ll Go Far, Kid,” which was directed by an 8 year old and features the bandmates dressed as animals.
With the stories they portray through songs like “Widows and Revolutionaries,” there is no doubt that the 1,186 likes they have on Facebook are truly devoted fans. However, there is still something missing from Crooked Orchards. One theory would be its overall lack of contrast, featuring nothing new enough to bring to the table of 2016’s top charts. That being said, there is a market for folk-pop lovers on the Internet, and there is no doubt that they will eventually find Darling Valley, and that will be all the fans they need. Listening to Darling Valley will also provide three things you didn’t know you needed: tight vocal harmony, a variety of instruments and an overwhelming mix of heartbreak, encouragement and joy. And for that, we are grateful for Crooked Orchards.
Top Tracks: Graces, Widows and Revolutionaries, You’ll Go Far, Kid
Fans couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day in Buffalo on June 16. Canalside hosts free concerts every Thursday evening, and they bring some big-name acts to town. And this night was no exception, as event-goers had the honor of seeing Frank Turner and July Talk on the same bill at Canalside.
Uncle Ben’s Remedy was the chosen show opener; this group has been making a name for themselves around town, whether it’s winning voting-based competitions or playing for fundraisers. UBR got the crowd engaged and started a good ole fashioned hoedown. While most of their lyrics may be slightly shallow and not have much depth to them, the enthusiasm the band gives off is contagious.
July Talk has built their band on contrasts. Case in point: their sound blends the raspy, alpha-male roar of Peter Dreimanis’ vocals that graze the honeyed sounds of Leah Fay. During the show, Fay appeared onstage with a plastic red tray that was full of cannolis; she was gracious enough to hand some to the photographers, then proceeded to throw a few into the crowd. Any hesitation that may have been felt about July Talk’s live show appeared halfway through the set. Their radio hits “Guns + Ammunition” and “Summer Dress” was played with much intensity, but then they seemed to lose their enthusiasm when it came to the lesser-known songs like “Blood and Honey.”
Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls are quite the crowd pleasers. There was no pause, no downbeat, no breather in any moment of the show. A 22-song setlist blew by like the steamy yet refreshing breeze that precedes a train, as it rushes toward the station — in all the right ways, in this case. The audience was fully engaged, and almost everyone in the room knew the words to every song. Turner’s banter was expeditious and friendly. He demands your attention and demands that everyone be nice to each other and treat each other with respect; he stressed it even more given the recent tragic events in Orlando. The vast majority of the floor had hands high, clapping or first-pumping, and bodies moving the entire time.
Let’s travel back a bit to a small distinctive rock club, a mainstay on the scene hosting some of the most vibrant sounds of its time and place. CBGB’s in the ’70s? No, not quite that far back, and to the north and west. We’re talking about the Bug Jar in Rochester circa 2010. Bands like Joywave, KOPPS, Maybird and Makyo Star were playing its stage regularly, drawing larger and larger crowds. These bands cut their teeth inside the club’s wavy walls, and still can be seen there from time to time. But they’re each breaking through in their own way, and Joywave showed how and why in a big local gone express show at Anthology on June 18.
The show opened with Maybird — the brainchild of longtime Rochester music scene mainstay Josh Netsky. The band made the move down to Brooklyn last year, after which they signed with Danger Mouse’s 30th Century Records and caught the ears of NPR music guru and tastemaker Bob Boilen. Their first EP on the new label, Turning Into Water, was released earlier this year, and they’re hard at work on a full length. Their psychedelic-tinged set featured the unique overhand guitar approach of Sam Snyder and the multi-talented Kurt Johnson on pedal steel, sitar and guitar. In a set featuring powerful performances of “Turning Into Water,” “Call You Mine” and “Maybird,” the real hero was the songwriting prowess of Netsky.
Next up was KOPPS. The quartet out of Rochester has moved on from their electronic keyboard-heavy beginnings into a power-rock trio with wheels. Frontwoman Patricia Patron (the double PP of KOPPS) got this train moving with a full head of steam, and urged the crowd to get aboard. At this point, Anthology was feeling like a Bikram yoga studio. It was hot outside and much hotter inside, but KOPPS didn’t let that interfere with their plans to get it even hotter — heat is their currency. Continually coordinated dance moves by bassist Kyle O’Hara (the KO of KOPPS) and guitarist Travis Johansen flanked Patron’s energetic gyrations. You wanted to move to the music, but you couldn’t take your eyes off of the movements on the stage. They blasted through a few new tunes like “Baby, I’m Dead Inside,” “Get Juicy” and “Lose Control” with promises of new recordings on the way. With the ear and favor already of Howard Stern, and an infectious groove that can move the masses, what’s next could launch this group skyward.
Transviolet is not exactly a Rochester band, and this was in fact their first gig in the Flour City, but they’re not not a local band either. Three of the four members hail from Rochester, and two of them played together in the aforementioned Makyo Star. They’re currently based in Los Angeles, signed to Columbia, and quickly on the rise. Lead singer Sarah McTaggart has one of those made-to-be-a-pop-star voices that pull you in as soon as the sound hits. It was ’80s pop renewed and refreshed without being rehashed. Their first single, “New Bohemia,” added ethereal and catchy nuances that lifted it above the fray; it was an angelic oasis of sound in the overheated club.
Closing out the big night, Joywave, the band who asks, “Why Be Credible When You Can Be INCREDIBLE?,” finally took the stage to huge roars from the crowd. The lights, which had stagnated into a bluish purple for the evening, fired up to orange, the volume turned up, the bass thumped and the band bounced on stage. “Bug Jar, my how you’ve grown, this… is Joywave!” announced frontman Daniel Armbuster.
Combining the songwriting of Maybird, the infectious energy of KOPPS and the pop finesse of Transviolet, Joywave is the full package. Even though they’ve exploded past the confinement of their hometown music scene, they haven’t left their roots behind — rather they’ve held on tight and seem determined to pull up as much as they can with them. This is evidenced not only in inviting their friends to the big stage with them here, but in sponsoring a local Little League team (complete with game updates on their Facebook page), creating a special coffee blend available for their favorite local cafe and any other number of connections they’ve sustained with their hometown.
Their set relied mostly on their latest How Do You Feel Now? with hits like “Something New,” “Tongues” and a “Nice House” that had the whole crowd screaming along. They worked in a new song, and promised that a trip to the studio was in the works for later this year, which also means it was one of their last live gigs for 2016. After 187 days on the road in 2014, and 200 days on the road in 2015 (to places like Coachella, Lollapalooza and Europe), it will be a well-deserved break. Rochester will be happy to have them back for a little while.
Flash forward now to a not-all-that-distant future; Joywave, Transviolet, KOPPS and Maybird are again on the same stage together. This time at the Rochester Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony where all four groups are being honored for their highly successful and influential careers that harken back to their humble beginnings at the Bug Jar — and that show at Anthology, just before they all “made it.”
A lot of great bands form in college. The Pixies, for example, formed after guitarists Black Francis and Joey Santiago shared a suite together at U-Mass. By fortunate accident, the two spent hours at a time collectively reveling in the glory of late ’70s punk and David Bowie. Similarly, after actualizing their musical ambitions at Harvard, the members of Galaxie 500 swiftly began practicing with a drum set Damon Krukowski borrowed from classmate Conan O’Brien. Queen’s Brian May and Tim Staffell, too, discovered each other on a noticeboard on the grounds of Imperial College.
Starting a band in college, is by no means, uncommon or unnatural. Being a campus band, however, is a staggering decision, one more impertinent than being a band that merely makes music at college together. Being a campus band entails adhering to the collegiate lifestyle, pandering to the Thursday night red solo cup agenda, often by playing Beyoncé and Zedd covers to a house-full fraternity party. Being a campus band is not akin to writing songs with striking relevance to the collegiate lifestyle (see: “U-Mass,” “Tugboat“). It is not akin to playing a basement house show, wherein indie kids gather around the makeshift stage, acknowledging the band as the main event.
Shiffley
But Shiffley is different. They are, by no means, your average campus band, subsumed under the forgetfulness that follows a night of cheap and hard drinking. Not only did this Long Island band make the best of their Craigslist success story, but they also broke the long pattern of campus bands that came before them. Shiffley, instead, drew from their red solo cup collegiate starpower, collaborating with students that have all sorts of different skills from arts to business. They built their core team from friends at Syracuse University, finding a manager in co-founding member of A Cappella group Otto Tunes, Cormac Dennehy.
“I was a fan that wanted to help out in any way I could. It started out with them hitting me up for help promoting shows and just turned into me helping out with all corners of their camp. One day we just decided to put it in writing,” explained Dennehy, who currently works at talent agency ICM, which tends to clients like Bonnaroo, Coachella, Lollapalooza, SXSW, Lilith Fair, Sasquatch and Summerfest. “Every day I interact with new people in the entertainment industry — and if I can turn them into a viable contact, or at the very least a fan, then you bet your fanny I will do so. It’s also helpful to see how other people operate in a similar space. I have the opportunity to watch seasoned industry pros do what they do, and occasionally, I am able to apply that to my work with Shiffley.”
Shiffley indeed got their footing on campus, playing house show after house show until the concert board took notice and billed them as openers for 21 Pilots. In January 2014, Shiffley was handpicked by Fall Out Boy, Emeli Sande and Austin Mahone as a finalist in CBS’ nationwide Grammy Gig of a Lifetime competition, placing fourth out of 40 finalists. They were also semi-finalists in VH1’s Make A Band Famous competition. After releasing their EP Atomic Robot Man (mixed by Tony Gallis, the man behind several Steely Dan records), Shiffley is back this year with a new single, “Systems,” and an album slated for a July release.
“‘Systems’ is the second part of a two-song story off of the album about a robot that learns how to feel and then instantly regrets the decision,” the band shared over a warm email exchange, after revealing that they got their name from singer Alex Ganes’ illustration of a sleazy salesman. “As a band, we can relate to the idea of being sleazy salesmen of music.” It’s not long before they casually mention that they got their song mixed at Freshly Baked Studios, in exchange for a shout out. Their flagrant audacity is marveling, and it’s brazen barters like this that truly define Shiffley. Shiffley, as a band, lies on the other side of DIY, on the side that is transparently earnest in its outreach for commercial success. And this, in itself, makes the band that much more endearing, and that much more likely to succeed.
The idea behind “Systems” stemmed from spending their Syracuse weekends chasing down parties until the winter dipped into the negatives, thereby surpassing their threshold for the cold: “[Systems] is about the regret. The robot casts off his/her emotions in an effort return to max efficiency. The main hook, ‘Systems are down, it’s getting cold, I’m going home’ is about crossing that threshold and returning to logic at the expense of the fun times.”
Stream “Systems,” the first single off their TBD album slated for a release later this year, below, and follow Shiffley on Facebook and Twitter, videos on YouTube and music on SoundCloud and Spotify.
Shiffley July 2016 Tour Dates: 7/21 – Studio at Webster – NY, NY 7/23 – SUSIEPALOOZA – Deer Park, NY 7/25 – Chapala Blue Beetle Rock Bar – Burtonsville, MD 7/26 – Jammin Java – Vienna, VA
With Dead and Company having started their fall tour in Albany this past October, Capitaland got the first taste of John Mayer in a Jerry Garcia role, one that brought criticism and concern from those who weren’t familiar with Mayer’s guitar prowess but experts in tabloid fodder. But to those in the know, musicians and real fans alike, convivial awe and heightened expectations were the emotions directed toward Mayer, and when the October show ended with “Touch of Grey,” any musical concerns were laid to rest.
And they were laid to rest over and over, as the tour wrapped around the country, culminating with New Year’s Eve in Inglewood, CA, and now a summer tour that began this month, including a stop at Bonnaroo. Four shows deep and the expectations for the performance at SPAC on June 21 were as high as ever, partially because three members of the original Grateful Dead were back in Saratoga for the first time in more than 20 years, and partially thanks to no repeats in the setlist during the previous four nights.
The SPAC lawn was as packed as ever with an all ages crowd enjoying the grounds, with kids playing with elder hippies alongside fans who were looking to get a taste of Mayer and Company in a classic summer show at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. “Feel Like a Stranger” opened the night and while Bob sang about the long, crazy night ahead, John took the lead and emulated Garcia’s tone perfectly, but he didn’t get his chance to shine yet — that would come a little later in the set.
The first day of summer was given a light nod with “Here Comes Sunshine,” as the beams poured in from behind the stage to light the pavilion audience in an ecclesiastic milieu.
The band then led through first-set staples “Brown Eyed Women,” “Loser” and “Little Red Rooster,” the latter of which held the most meat of the three, as Weir jumped into let-me-show-you-how-we-did-it-back-in-the-day mode and furiously burned through the blues number in a brief duel with his padawan. The highlight of the set for many was “Cassidy” > “Deal,” where Mayer gave the crowd the first solid Jerry Jam of the night, spacey and nailed perfectly. A shredding “Deal” that hit multiple peaks as it reached the end of the set brought an eruption from the crowd, a perfect set closer now in its fifth decade.
“Iko Iko” got the second set rolling nicely, reviving the energy that had dissipated from “Deal” and served as an appetizer to the main course: “Estimated Prophet” > “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider.” The “Estimated” alone was worth the price of admission, with Mayer bringing Jerry’s sound to life, as local guitarist Joe Davis put it, “as if Jerry never hit a bad note.” “China Cat” > “Rider” followed for a sing-along/dance-a-thon, as the energy never seemed to evaporate from the scorching “Estimated.” The crowd singing in unison, “The sun’s gonna SHIIIINE” back to the band was an exclamation point upon the second set, and “Drums” and “Space” were still to come.
If Dead and Company is John Mayer’s band, “Uncle John’s Band” takes on new meaning; the jam that ensued from the song, as well as the open spots for Mayer to strut his stuff, were more Mayer than Jerry, but still with a healthy dose of jazzy improv. “The Days Between,” while featuring some of Robert Hunter’s finest lyrics, brought everyone to their seat, lawn chair or to pull up some grass for an emotional and somber late set addition. “Good Lovin’” brought Bobby back to the forefront and roused the crowd once again to sing-along with a classic Dead cover. The double encore of “Brokedown Palace” and “Johnny B. Goode” were a taste of old and new — a Dead original beloved by fans and a cover brought to life by their own resident Johnny to take them home for the night. Listen to the show on Archive.
Set 1: Feel Like a Stranger, Here Comes Sunshine, Brown Eyed Women, Loser, Little Red Rooster, Cassidy > Deal
Set 2: Iko Iko, Estimated Prophet > China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider > Rhythm Devils > Space > Uncle John’s Band > The Days Between > Good Lovin’
The first 24 hours in Miami for Phish’s 2014 NYE Run, we had dumplings, ramen, mac and cheese, and pork belly. This was the first day after a 30 day paleo cleanse so it was like getting out of food jail to be released into tropical paradise. Ceviche, Cuban sandwiches, vegan treats delivered to our door, and key lime pie on the beach were all incredible, but the highlight was getting the secret to making the world’s best pina colada: a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
As the lights dropped around 9:30 p.m. Miss Badu’s band took the stage and quickly entered into a smooth jazzy jam for about ten minutes as the anticipation grew. Badu finally took the stage to a roar and portrayed her vocal mastery through a mishmash of hits and deep cuts deep into the evening hours. A few songs into the set she paused to reflect on her last trip to Rochester many years before and invited the crowd to come down and join her by the stage.
With no soundcheck, no time to prepare, and basically walking from a plane onto the stage, Badu proved her superstar status with an impeccable and flawless performance that will live on until she graces Rochesterian’s with her awe-inspiring presence again.
And they were laid to rest over and over, as the tour wrapped around the country, culminating with New Year’s Eve in Inglewood, CA, and now a summer tour that began this month, including a stop at Bonnaroo. Four shows deep and the expectations for the performance at SPAC on June 21 were as high as ever, partially because three members of the original Grateful Dead were back in Saratoga for the first time in more than 20 years, and partially thanks to no repeats in the setlist during the previous four nights.