NYS Music 20​18

Category: Show Reviews

  • Tea Leaf Green Brings The Heat To The Northeast

    Tea Leaf Green recently celebrated 20 years as a band and was greeted with an exceptionally warm Northeast welcome. This run was special because the San Francisco-based jam quartet hasn’t visited the area in two years. These shows notably mark the second time bass player Eric DiBerardino played with Tea Leaf Green in the New York City Metro region. DiBerardino replaced bass superstar Reed Mathis in 2016. Fans are excited to be more acquainted with his style.

    StageOne in Fairfield, CT (11/16/2018)

    Described as a “coffee shop stage,” StageOne in Fairfield, CT offered fans a chance to see the band up close with great acoustics. The venue has a 225 person capacity, with seating on both sides of the stage. Tea Leaf Green rewarded those in attendance with a classic set of favorites.

    The set began with “5000 Acres” and “Ride Together,” which got the crowd on their feet and grooving. Next up were “Make a Connection,” “Innocence” and the electro-funk jam “Germinating Seed,” featuring notable guitar segments from guitarist Josh Clark. The set wrapped up on a high note with the perennial hit “If It Wasn’t For the Money,” featuring outstanding vocals and smooth solos by keyboardist Trevor Garrod.

    Set II picked up where Set I left off, starting with the funky “These Two Chairs“ and an electrified “Don’t Curse the Night.” The high energy “One Reason“ got the crowd ready for the first jam of the night, “Gasaholic.” Garrod’s soulful vocals and funky keyboard execution combined with Clark’s guitar improvisation made this an unforgettable rendition.

    “All Of Your Cigarettes“ brought a few chill moments before Jordan Giangreco of The Breakfast joined Tea Leaf Green on stage, playing organ next to Garrod for the high energy favorites “Give Me One More Chance“ and “Incandescent Devil.” Musical nirvana between all five musicians was reached during the second jam of the night and closed the second set on a high note.

    The encore brought the energy down to earth for the melodic Garrod classic, “Earth and Sky.”

    Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, NY (11/17/2018)

    Tea Leaf Green has a rich history of high energy jamming at the Brooklyn Bowl, which features a bowling alley adjacent to the stage. Gadadu and Greg Humphrey’s Electric Trio opened and got the crowd on their feet.

    The band was ready to rock and roll from the very first song, “Devil’s Pay,” including eloquent vocals from Garrod and mind-numbing guitar solos by Clark. The harmonica-fueled “Let Us Go“ was the perfect precursor for the jam of the night, “Red Ribbons” > “Garden III.” Both are classic Tea Leaf Green songs, and “Garden” included a unique rock infused jam, which delighted longtime fans.

    Garrod’s vocals and keyboard skills shined in “Been So Long“ and “Cops Took My Weed“ followed by a Clark electric guitar clinic in “Space Hero“ and “Hot Dog.” There is no question how talented this band is.

    The soulful Garrod tune “Kali Yuga” closed out the set, and included celebration confetti from the audience. The encore began with “Carter Hotel,” an inspiring ballad sung by Clark. The show ended on a high note with the electric “Vote on Tuesday,” including more audience confetti to close this memorable night.

    The Northeast was jubilant after two fantastic Tea Leaf Green shows and awaits their return for more soulful, funky improvisational rock and roll.

  • John Medeski’s Mad Skillet Cooks at Buffalo Iron Works

    John Medeski brought his latest project, a quartet with Will Bernard on guitar, Kirk Joseph on sousaphone and Terence Higgins on drums, to the Buffalo Iron Works on Sunday night. Collectively known as Mad Skillet, the seasoned veterans brought fresh sounds from a wide expanse of influences, mixing in styles from the South, East and West.

    Touring behind their just-released album, they stretched those tracks and some additional material into two super-grooving hour-plus long sets. Joseph held down the low end with honking sousaphone blasts that twisted and exploded with electronic distortions. Bernard shredded a hollow body guitar with jazzy chops, funky cuts and bluesy slide-laden swirls. Medeski threw in everything but the kitchen sink: massive swells and chunks of B3 organ, heady splashes of Mellotron and a bit of spice from the Wurlitzer. Higgins beat it all together to a perfect blend.

    They weren’t shy in slathering on some jam either. They moved in, out and through grooves with ease. Each player headed up the kitchen while the others played the sous chef. The baton was passed around the room until the dish was ready and all the flavors came together for a glorious four-pronged meal of sound. Regardless of the on-stage dynamic, playing as one, two, three or the full band, each individual flavor came through loud and clear; nothing was lost in the mix. Each individual musician sounded exactly like themselves, and the end result was no more surprising. As good as you would come to expect.

    Mm mm good.

  • Mikaela Davis Joins Bob Weir and the Wolf Brothers in Syracuse

    Bob Weir brought his new trio, the Wolf Brothers, featuring Jay Lane on drums and Don Was on bass, to the beautiful Landmark Theatre in Syracuse, and invited harpist and singer Mikaela Davis up for a few songs. After the sellout crowd settled in, the band emerged and took their time tuning and prepping for the night ahead. The show got off to a bit of a sluggish start with an uninspired and sloppy “Jack Straw” that included some unnecessarily long rhythmic interludes. Weir switched to the acoustic and kicked into “Gonesville” off 2016’s Blue Mountain. The trio seemed custom-built to handle this slice of Weir’s repertoire and played more inspired as they locked in nicely for the short country ballad.

    Mikaela Davis Bob Weir

    The set could have stood to have some more from that album, but they switched immediately back into the tried and true Grateful Dead trademarks. Sticking with the acoustic, the run of “Me and My Uncle,” “Peggy-o” and “Deep Elem Blues” hewed folksy and sounded great, Weir added a fresh shine with some subtle shifts in the melodies. There was an air of intimacy as he stopped to provide snippets of the songs’ histories.

    Moving back to electric, “Althea” transitioned nicely out of “Deep Elem Blues” and the set started to pick up some steam as “Loose Lucy” followed. Pushing past 70 minutes, the set felt like it might be winding down when a harp came rolling from backstage. Rochester’s own Mikaela Davis followed closely behind to join the trio for a version of “Bird Song” that provided a real kick in the pants to close out the first set. The added melodic flourishes from the harp gave Weir something to play off and showcase his true rhythmic guitar genius.

    The second set continued to build on the energy from the first. “All Along the Watchtower” was played jagged and grungy with Weir taking on a languid psychedelic tone. The band showcased its agility and morphing ability in a shifty “The Music Never Stopped.”

    Mikaela Davis Bob Weir

    After the bluesy “Standing on Shaky Ground,” the harp came rolling back out and the band started up “Wharf Rat.” Davis confidently took on a more prominent role and the band dug out a nice space for her and Weir to take the jam to strange and beautiful places. The ensuing “China Cat Sunflower” played right into Davis’ strengths. The longer she held court on stage, the audience became more rapt with the sounds she brought into the mix. By the time “I Know You Rider” wound around, Davis was controlling more of the reins, providing the tune with extra bounce, and the crowd responded with increasing excitement.

    The harp remained on stage after set close and they returned for the encore as a quartet. Not only was Davis feeling more comfortable, she was now ready to lead the band and counted out the start as they kicked into Neil Young’s “Down By the River.” It was a Neil Young cover, sure, but it was Davis’ version, and the one she’s been playing on tour all year. She sang and played the lead with the seasoned veterans backing her all the way. Jay Lane powered the jam with incredible pounding flourishes to shoot it into the stratosphere, and the crowd roared in appreciation. “Ripple” was the perfect nightcap to emerge out of the fizzle, and a full crowd sing-along had everyone leaving fully satisfied with the songs that filled the air.

    Bob Weir and the Wolf Brothers, featuring Mikaela Davis – November 9, 2018 – Landmark Theatre, Syracuse, NY

    Set 1: Jack Straw, Gonesville, Me and My Uncle, Peggy-O, Deep Elem Blues > Althea, Loose Lucy > Bird Song*

    Set 2: Easy to Slip, Two Djinn, All Along the Watchtower, Music Never Stopped > Shaky Ground, Wharf Rat* > China Cat Sunflower* > I Know You Rider*

    Encore: Down By the River*, Ripple*
    * – with Mikaela Davis on harp and vocals

  • String Cheese Incident Finish Strong in Worcester

    After an incredible Suwannee Hulaween and Philly run, The String Cheese Incident finished their Halloween  tour with two incredible shows in Worcester, Massachusetts at the Palladium on November 2 and 3.

    Friday, Night One

    With 7 Hulaween sets and 4 in Philadelphia under their belt in the week prior, fans were unsure how the boys would be feeling coming into the weekend. Starting the first set off with the southern rock hit “On The Road,” they quickly dove into an incredible jam-filled “Sometimes a River.” Michael Kang belted on an 11-minute “Come As You Are” straight into an epic cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman.” From Stevie, the boys continued this long string of non-stop jams to their salsa-inspired “Latinnismo,” last played in July of 2007 at Horning’s Hideout. They were really pulling out all the stops.

    The second set continued the high energy of the first with just six songs. There are almost no words to describe how heavy and jam-filled these were, as there were very few words to be heard from the band. After a long “You’ve Got The World” to start, they began what would be close to 75 minutes of non-stop music. Cheese slowed down only slightly for one of Bill Nershi‘s bluegrass classics, “Windy Mountain,” and the set ending with a 20-minute, extremely heavy “Howard.”

    Saturday, Night Two

    There didn’t seem to be any way that String Cheese could match their intensity from night one. Everyone was sure they would have a very bluegrass-heavy night, which would still have been amazing, but they were wrong… very wrong. The first song was a powerful “Let’s Go Outside,” into The Who’s “Eminence Front,” then back into LGO. They began a long string of classic fan favorites with “Little Hands,” covering Bob Dylan’s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” and ending the first set with yet another full fired rendition in “Rosie”.

    There is a lot of disagreement among Cheese fans about what they’re best at. Many love them for their roots as bluegrass greats, while others can’t seem to get enough of their heavier, more electronic bangers. The final set of the Halloween tour was one that everyone could enjoy. It was almost comical when the band went from one of their heaviest songs “Rivertrance” into “Pretty Polly” and back into Rivertrance. What makes this so incredible is Polly has long been sought after by the bluegrass-friendly fans, as it had not been played since October of 2013. After the set was finished with an eardrum-bursting “Beautiful,” you could tell the band was in high spirits. With incredible jovial energy, they ended their Halloween run with one of their all-time greats, “Colorado Bluebird Sky.”

    Fans old and new agree that these will go down as two of the best nights of Cheese in history, as would quite a few from this run, and a few more this year. The String Cheese Incident is one of the few bands that just continue to get better after 20 years together. They return to Colorado this New Year’s Eve to Broomfield. They also have their Jamaican Incident in January. They have yet to release any other information for 2019, but rest assured, each show and every set will be very Gouda, whether aged or smoked.

    Check out the photos from both nights below by Zatchmo Lives Media!

  • String Cheese Incident Make Halloween Shine in Philadelphia

    The String Cheese Incident are finishing up an eastern stint of shows, with last night and tonight seeing them play at Worcester, MA’s Palladium Night Club. Earlier this week, the band spent Halloween in Philadelphia, performing two back to back shows at the city of brotherly love’s The Fillmore.

     After a monumental weekend at Hulaween, in which three headlining nights from the band included plenty of guest sit-ins and lots of musical surprises, the hype for String Cheese’s Fillmore run was pricked with anticipation. Many were wondering if they had steam left after delivering such a jam-packed weekend, and others had no doubt at all.

    Fillmore Night One

    That these were going to be some strong shows was definitely clear soon enough into night one’s firs set. A “Song in My Head” > Can’t Stop Now brought the first smiles of the run, and the band was at least in tight form, if not risk-taking right away.” Way That it Goes” through “Believe” saw incredibly heavy Cheese. The intensity, not to mention the sheer decibel level, on even an old school jazzier number like “Pirates,” was pretty staggering. A first set “Sympathy For The Devil,” sung by Keith Mosely, was our Halloween nugget for the night, and it certainly seemed appreciated given the enthusiasm emanating from the crowd all the way through. 

    Set two invited the most electronic side of Cheese to party, with a “Tinderbox” to start that saw the band enter full-on dubstep style. The crowd appeared to dig on it, though, and so the band followed it soon after with a similarly crystallized version of “Bumpin’ Reel.” Kang broke out the fiddle here, and buttoned up this wildly looped jam with some choice intermittent soloing.There were a few big gems of this two-night run, and arguably the first came in night one’s final, towering segment that kicked off with a “Miss Brown’s Teahouse.” While this was a straightforward version, it rolled on in mystical fashion towards a highly received “Land’s End,” perhaps one of the most appreciated songs in the Cheese catalogue. The band took their time gracefully here, treading thoughtfully through a section of space, comprising a “Glory Chords” jam, but soon enough took off running into a “Just One Story” to close out—another one of Cheese’s most appreciated numbers.

    This magical combo worked with the encore to leave The Fillmore fully satisfied for night one. The encore which might have actually stood out in the context of the whole run. A very fun “Born On The Wrong Planet” segued with ease into an “I Know You Rider” that saw the latter of those two tunes fleshed put nicely, complete with a slowly cascading reggae jam, to be a standout version.

    Fillmore Night Two

    While Halloween have default regard as special shows, it stands that String Cheese’s second night in Philadelphia came as the better of two nights—nothing damnable about making the next show better than the last! Again, the band made fast moves to show their chameleon-like ability to divert musical styles and moods. After a welcomed “Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance” opened it up, the engine for the evening really starting revving with a funky, murky jam coming out of ‘Eye Know Why.” The band was in sync, and they were making improvisational choices with confidence.

    The “Shine” to end the first set was fine and feel good as any other, but the “Outside and Inside” coming before it was the real ticket: a type two version that flung itself into the first set ender with pure adrenaline. But, if you were to listen to just one song from this entire two night run, make it the “Lonesome Fiddle Blues” that blew out the doors of The Fillmore on night two, set two. The crowd was caught off guard with the insanity of this one, and when Hollingsworth helped catapult this eruptive version, with an organ solo that still has this writer shaking his head, nearly everybody in that room went from chill to berserk in seconds flat.

    The set only evolved from there, with the band venturing into some of the most improvisational territory yet with a fantastic “Best Feeling.” After some cosmic interplay led to a tension-tinged climax, “Feeling” dropped succinctly into “Illegal,” a song that has been a big hit with Cheese fans this year. Over the last week, the band has been cycling through the new material penned by each member of the band, and this one, composed by drummer Michael Travis, is a doozy. It’s neat, coastal-vibe like chorus gives way, in back and forth style, to a wicked prog-rock like instrumental section, which the band nailed here at The Fillmore with a real tenacity.

    Coming back for the encore, Hollingsworth recounted warmly he grew up down the street from The Fillmore, and that all six of his siblings were in attendance. Nershi commented: “Seeing family come to all the shows makes us feel like we’re doing this thing right. And you all of course are our family too.” The band played a textbook “Restless Wind” to finish out, highlighted with a great few minutes of solo trading between Kang and Nershi, and brought a terrific two-night stand down for a soft landing.  

    String Cheese Incident’s next scheduled concert appearance is their highly anticipated three-night New Years Eve run at 1st Bank Center in Denver, Colorado. For more information visit their site at http://www.stringcheeseincident.com.

  • Photo Gallery: Phish dresses up as Kasvot Växt, Faceplants Las Vegas into Rock

    Phish fans got a trick, and a treat on Halloween. For their Halloween show, Phish didn’t cover a classic rock album like fans hoped, but instead did something far scarier – they performed brand new music as Kasvot Växt to a sold out MGM Garden Grand Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

    kazvot vaxtCombining their 2013 (Wingsuit) and 2014 (Chilling Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House) costumes, Phish created something completely different, brand new and unique, to say the least – they invented a band, backstory and full album to cover, performing as Kasvot Växt, a Scandinavian prog rock outfit dressed all in white and bringing an incredibly fresh sound to Phish’s legacy of Halloween runs.

    kasvot vaxtWearing all white suits on an all white stage and playing all white instruments, Phish performed i rokk, which when combined with Kasvot Växt translates as ‘Faceplant into rock.’ All 10 songs were brand new Phish, or Kasvot Växt, depending on how you look at it.

    What was most amazing about the show is the level of secrecy that kept this set so under wraps that no one knew what would really happen until the first notes of the set. Performing a new album has been done before in 2013 with Wingsuit, and again in 2014 in Las Vegas with Chilling Thrilling, but combining those two efforts and writing 10 songs in a prog rock/metal-ish style AND the Kazvot Växt persona to go along with it is a level up, even for Phish.

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Set 1: Buried Alive > Ghost > Crazy Sometimes > Free, More, Halley’s Comet > Ocelot > Theme From the Bottom > First Tube

    Set 2: Turtle in the Clouds[1], Stray Dog[1], Everything is Hollow[1], We Are Come to Outlive Our Brains[1], Say It To Me S.A.N.T.O.S.[1], The Final Hurrah[1], Play by Play[1], Death Don’t Hurt Very Long[1], Cool Amber and Mercury[1], Passing Through[1]

    Set 3: Set Your Soul Free > Tweezer > A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing > Backwards Down the Number Line > Meatstick, Bug > Run Like an Antelope

    Encore: Loving Cup > Tweezer Reprise

    [1] Debut.

  • Vusi Mahlasela brings Township! and the sounds of South Africa to The Egg

    With a crowd diverse in age and race, a lively audience came to the Swyer Theater at The Egg in Albany for a night of South African music that was engaging and inspired dancing in the crowd all throughout the evening. Celebrating the 100th birthday of global peacemaker Nelson Mandela and nearly 25 years of freedom from apartheid, Vusi Mahlasela paid tribute to South African music legends Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masakela, Dorothy Masuka and Brenda Fassie with ‘Township!’Vusi Mahlasela

    South African music was hard to come by for the mid-late 20th century, due to the cultural boycott on the country due to apartheid, and at home, black South African music was banned from the radio, so American records were played at pubs. Known as “The Voice,” Mahlasela hails from Mamelodi Township, outside Pretoria and experienced this music embargo first hand, yet became an international legend starting in the late 1980s. Accompanied by Mongeze Ntaka on guitar, Jimmy Mgwandi on bass and Ian Herman on drums, Mahlasela took the audience on a tour of South Africa’s sights, sounds and languages through a variety of songs from the influential artists that came before him.

    The night opened with the acoustic “Ubuhle” in the Hosa/Zulu dialect of South African – where there are 11 official languages – and was followed by a song about the beauty of the land, “Silang Magele” and “Jabula,” a song sung by a dove during harvest season. “Draaikies” by Dr. Phillip Tabane, was sung in a slang language of South Africa, combining elements of regional and European dialects. An untitled song referenced the pain of separation and was written on toilet paper while in jail. Here, Mahlasela spoke of Africa deserving better because Africa has been giving all along – through slavery, raw materials, and colonization, and still today through the neo-colonization seen by China.

    “Our Sand” was dedicated to the San people, who were the first people to walk the earth, also known as Bushmen. The upbeat and joyful Township songs closed the performance, starting with “Jesu” and “Uncolo.” “Unomeva” was inspired by the speakeasies of South Africa and the characters and musicians that were found there. Finally, Mahlasela mentioned the concept of Ubuntu, the quality of human virtues, including humanity, compassion, tolerance, love, among others. “Say Africa” was sung with the audience enthusiastically serving as the chorus. An encore of “Woza” gave a swingtown vibe to the Township we were welcomed into this evening.

    Setlist: Ubuhle, Silang Magele, Miyela Africa, Jabula, Amdokwe, Draaikies, When You Come Back, Untitled, Our Sand, Jesu, Uncolo, Unomeva, Say Africa

    Encore: Woza

  • Musicians Show Politicians How to Play Together at Hudson Valley Votes

    “If you told my high school self that I’d be receiving an email from Natalie Merchant,” Paul Rudd quipped, “asking me to take the stage with Mary Stuart Masterson and introduce Antonio Delgado, I would’ve said, ‘What’s email?’.”

    The event– Hudson Valley Votes– took place at UPAC on October 20 and featured prominent Hudson Valley residents. In addition to 10,000 Maniacs’ frontwoman Natalie Merchant, long-time David Bowie band member Gail Ann Dorsey, renowned songwriter Dar Williams, Lettuce collaborator Alecia Chakour, and Woodstock favorites Rachael Yamagata and Simi Stone participated in the musical portion of the evening.

    Natalie Merchant, Gail Ann Dorsey and Resistance Revival Chorus

    The show, organized to trump up support for local progressive politicians, began with a rendition of Woody Guthrie classic “This Land Is Your Land.” The itinerary progressed fluidly; after the Guthrie cover, children and teenagers from Kingston’s Energy Dance Company took the stage and invaded the aisles, putting on a high energy hip-hop dance performance that earned a standing ovation. The youth movement continued with a subsequent performance by members of Woodstock’s Rock Academy.

    “We aim to turn New York blue through the activism of young people!” one of the event’s organizers exclaimed. It was reiterated throughout the evening that young voters would need to show up on November 6 in order for the progressives’ candidates to succeed. In addition to young people, women carried the night. Many of the featured candidates were females running in their first elections; most of them expressed displeasure with the unequal representation of women in Congress.

    Merchant, the musical director, sang a moving rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” vocally accompanied by Dorsey and Yamagata, with Jack DeJohnette on the piano. Dorsey, who womanned the stage more than anyone, showed off her vocal versatility all night. She also collaborated with Williams, Chakour, and The Rock Academy.

    Gail Ann Dorsey (left) and Dar Williams (right)

    The musical highlight of the evening undoubtedly came, however, from the Resistance Revival Chorus. More than a dozen women, resplendently clad in white, put on a haunting acapella protest performance, singing about marching to take back Congress, the Supreme Court, the White House, and to take back power. They received a well-earned, deafening ovation from the exuberant audience.

    Keynote speaker Antonio Delgado, who is challenging John Faso for a seat in the US House of Representatives, followed the Resistance Revival Chorus by continuing the tone of resistance. “We cannot solve problems,” Delgado claimed, “if we do not have civic discourse.” The charismatic politician joked about the difficulties of raising twin boys, spoke about challenges he faced growing up as a black boy in Schenectady, and vowed to supporters, “I will always be straight with you and I will always be accountable to you.”   

    Antonio Delgado, NY19th District Candidate

    While the political sphere in the country seems to be growing increasingly partisan, musicians showed the beauty of collaboration Saturday night. The crowd was energetic and the atmosphere full of hope. The sold-out event appears to have been a success, although attendees and participants may be waiting until November 7 to make their final determination.

  • West End Blend Fill the Hollow Void With Funk

    The Hollow was home to Connecticut’s own West End Blend on Friday, October 12. The jam-friendly funk group brought The Age to open and then put on a funk clinic for a packed room. Erica T. Bryan‘s soul flowed through the band as their jams crashed onto the dance floor again and again.

    West End Blend has quickly worked their way up through the ranks to become one of the best live acts touring the northeast. You can catch them this weekend at Disc Jam Presents Holloween Horror Camp. And, if you can’t make it to one of their shows coming up, you really ought to pick up their new live album, Live at the Waterhole, because there’s nothing like listening to a jam band jam.

    Photos by Zatchmo Lives Media

  • Older, Wiser and Sexier in Albany: Timberlake Brings Man of the Woods to Upstate

    Justin Timberlake kept step with his reputation for fast-paced, almost dizzying energy at his “Man of the Woods” tour on Saturday, October 20th at the Times Union Center. Timberlake and The Tennessee Kids infiltrated hip-hop music with some country vibe with a good outcome to an arena of mostly screaming, gyrating women of varying ages.

    In a dramatic entry, complete with laser show and smoke, Timberlake danced in with the same high energy he had as a teen performer in his boy band, NSYNC, but with the sexy confidence of a much wiser, older performer. He appeared to be having a great time, singing and dancing to “Filthy,” and reminding the audience repeatedly that he knew where he was, calling out to Albany during choruses.

    Timberlake looked to be broadening his style a bit, showing a music video by the TN Kids covering “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” before coming on stage. But after crooning out the John Denver song, the words, “If you love this country, you’re a country boy” scrolled across the screen, literally reminding fans to be inclusive in their thoughts about what to expect from Timberlake.

    Timberlake was dressed in a denim jacket adorned with a pine tree, black denim, and a white T underneath. His white sneakers shone in the light as he moved his feet with grace, appearing effortless as he danced in perfect time with his dancers and fellow musicians.

    Timberlake Man of the Woods

    He sang songs from his new album, “Midnight Summer Jam,” clapping along and highlighting musicianship in his band as much as his dancing. He appeared re-made, in some ways, to highlight a more folksy persona. His songs touched on the topic of love for his famous wife, Jessica Beil, and his young son Sam.

    Even so, the athletic performer didn’t shy away from old tunes. He jumped and danced to “Sexy Back,” reaching back to his fans from his first solo releases in the early 2000s. Indeed, some of the fans seemed to love him since his days on the Mickey Mouse Club, singing along with “Cry Me a River” and “Mirrors.” He invited Albany to “shake your upstate ass” as he himself shook his with the vivacity of a much younger hip-hop artist.

    Timberlake’s singing and dancing are only part of the show that makes it so much fun, though. He interacted with the crowd, talking with fans and revealing an audience member’s baby’s gender (it was a girl, or as Timberlake stated, “A little princess”) and pointing to audience members who seemed genuinely engaged. The sound at the TU was well balanced, making each syllable accessible to the crowd so that they could participate. Often, Timberlake dropped his microphone and let the audience sing along entire verses with glee.

    Timberlake Man of the Woods

    The screens that dropped from the ceiling, reflecting with videos, added to the visual appeal of the night. This show was different than most pop concerts brought to Albany; it was unexpected and clearly reaching for some creative messages. There were sets that changed: a campfire for a transition portion of the concert that featured the TN Kids’ vocalists, grasses and trees to generate a natural feel, and a background video about accepting all love added to the uniqueness of the experience. And then there were the laser shows, almost never used in our community for concerts.

    This was an arena performance.

    Most rockers from the 1990s return to Albany to play just their old stuff and stand in one place; Timberlake introduced some new music woven in with older songs, danced like he’s still 16, and helped fans forget they were in the warehouse of the TU for two hours.

    Timberlake Man of the Woods

    After the campfire sub-story, which quite possibly highlighted some of the sweetest voices by TN Kids’ singing Fleetwood Mac, Laryn Hill, Beatles, and John Denver’s covers, Timberlake played a tender “What Goes Around…Comes Around” before transitioning back to his current album. Returning to the main stage for “Say Something,” Timberlake’s recent hit with Chris Stapleton, the energy skyrocketed through the last seven songs.

    The high energy performer had fun, and so did his fans who were exhausted just watching him run, dance, jump and sing with his beautiful, velvet tenor voice. There were no bad seats in the house, as Timberlake played to the whole house, moving around so much between stages and on a walkway. For over two hours, Timberlake and the TN Kids tirelessly celebrated on stage.

    While it appears Timberlake is reaching for a new branding of sorts, he also appears to know the formula to keep fans blissfully engaged. By expanding to country music a bit, the wise Timberlake is making a nod to his birthplace, Tennessee, that is exploding bluegrass sound at present, while also staying engaged with the hip-hop fan base that grew his popularity the past 20+ years.

    Timberlake Man of the Woods

    His new songs, beautiful personal love songs to his wife and child, certainly show a more grown, mature performer who has the wisdom not to forget the past in search of the future. And his fans are learning from his wisdom: they too, regardless of age, appear to love Timberlake as much today as they did yesterday, if not more.

    Justin Timberlake certainly brought sexy back to Albany: an older, wiser, more mature sexy than years past, a sexy that was way more enjoyable than expected.

    Setlist: Filthy, Midnight Summer Jam, LoveStoned, SexyBack, Man of the Woods, Higher Higher, Señorita, Suit & Tie, My Love, Cry Me a River, Mirrors, Drink You Away, Until the End of Time(acoustic), Dreams (Fleetwood Mac cover), Ex-Factor (Lauryn Hill cover) Come Together (The Beatles cover), Thank God I’m a Country Boy (John Denver cover), Morning Light, What Goes Around… Comes Around, (acoustic)Say Something, Montana, Summer Love, Rock Your Body, Supplies, Like I Love You, Can’t Stop the Feeling!