The gospel of the The Jerry Garcia Band was preached for fans in New Hampshire, as Cats Under the Stars performed at The Stone Church in Newmarket, NH last Friday, February 19th.  The band featured Brian Harris on bass, Zach Nugent on guitar, Josh Dobbs on keys, and Joe Chapman on drums.  Based out of Burlington, VT, they wasted no time diving right into soulful music to a sold out crowd with “Ruben and Cherise.” Nugent took the lead on vocals and had the crowd going nuts as the first notes dropped. Deep bass and soulful keys vibrated throughout the start of the set. That infamous womping tone of Jerry Garcia’s guitar was prominent during the lingering, extended jam towards the end of this tune. If this was any indication as to how the rest of the show would go, the audience was in for one hot performance!  

They flowed right into “Rhapsody in Red.” Notes danced up and down Nugent’s guitar as Chapman pounded on the drums, with bits of brisk cymbal thrown in, for the dancing crowd. Dobbs preached to the choir as his organ jazzed up the melody during this lengthy jam. The energy was cooled down as they eased into “I’ll Take a Melody.”  This easy song had the audience swaying side to side and singing right along. Crisp notes flowed from the speakers as the vibes in the room were full of happy smiles and dancing feet.  

“The Harder They Come” brought the heat up again as they wasted no time bringing this jam out to play. The extensive tunes performed by Cats electrified the  crowd and had people jumping up and down, throwing out yells and whistles.  The Church was full of gospel loving fans on Friday. One audience member even brought a gigantic Jerry Garcia outfit, complete with guitar, and weaved their way through the crowd during the early part of the show.  

A recurring tune with JGB, The Rolling Stones’ “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” made a spirited appearance that kept the groove moving before the band slammed into Eric Clapton’s “Lay Down Sally.” If you closed your eyes, you would swear Clapton was singing. Halfway through the tune, the snow started to fall outside. The full on funky “Get Out Of My Life” laid out a harmonic balance of notes as the tones intertwined with each instrument, creating a magical dance between the audience and the musicians before bringing the first set to a close.

Set two opened to a blasting “Road Runner,” full of bass bombs and guitar licks that lifted up the temps in the room, as thick snow flakes piled up outside. Sam Cooke’s “Don’t Know Much About History,” brought the energy down with this laid back melody, even though fans kept their dancing shoes on, burning up the wooden floor. “Ain’t No Bread In the Breadbox” was full of funk, ripe with deep bass and playful guitar, as the drums kept the beat blazing. Dobbs’ keys were brimming with dreamy notes and chunks of quivering rhythms.  Playful back and forth occurred as the band highlighted bits of each instrument one at a time, repeatedly, expanding and contracting the jam to intense depths.  Smokey Robinson & The Miracles’ “I Second That Emotion” funkafied  the enthusiastic crowd.  An obscure “The Maker” cooled down the energy midway through second set. 

Bob Dylan’s “Tangled Up in Blue” continued the fantastical vibes for the crowd. “Waiting for a Miracle”, followed by “Tore Up Over You,” was packed with Nugent’s chords that swayed from bluesy to funky to jammy in one performance.  The evening encored with a melding instrumental version of The Beatles “Eleanor Rigby” before floating into JJ Cale’s, “After Midnight”; a perfect way to end a spectacular show on this cold evening in New England.

Friday’s performance by Cats Under the Stars was magical in every way. Sold out crowd. Blazing hot set list. Snow outside with a venue that was bursting at the seams with energy. All the elements combined made for one hell of a show. Cats get on stage with no preconceived set list. Even they don’t know what the night will bring until they start jamming and jive with the energy of the audience.

They continue their winter tour with upcoming dates throughout the northeast.  Melvin Seals will be joining the band for their final three performances in March. If you want to catch any of their shows, act fast, as they will sell out. 

For more information on tour dates and tickets, please visit their official website.

Setlist: Cats Under The Stars at The Stone Church Meeting House, Newmarket, NH – 2/19/16

Set One: Rubin & Cherise > Rhapsody in Red, I’ll Take a Melody, The Harder They Come, Let’s Spend the Night Together*, Lay Down Sally**>Get Out of My Life

Set Two: Road Runner, Don’t Know Much About History***, Ain’t No Bread in the Breadbox, I Second That Emotion****, Tangled Up In Blue#, Waiting for a Miracle

Encore: Eleanor Rigby$ > After Midnight%

 *The Rolling Stones, **Eric Clapton, ***Sam Cooke, ****Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, #Bob Dylan, $The Beatles, %JJ Cale 

Words by Sarah Bourque.  Follow on Twitter.

[Photo via Barbara Elmendorf]