The Motet brought some serious heat to The Mishawaka Amphitheater in Fort Collins, CO for the second of a sold out two-night run this past Saturday night. Vibe Street provided some early energy with an opening set chock full beats, sampling everything from The Jungle Book’s “Bear Necessities” to Bob Marley’s “Positive Vibration”, even throwing in a nod to Greensky Bluegrass with “The Four”.

The Motet played a solid first set as they played “Damn!” from their latest album Totem. A cover of The Meters‘ “Funkify Your Life” kept funk levels extra high at The Mish, which is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary as a venue. “Nemesis” showcased some deep, dark grooves with a brief David Bowie “Fame” jam that led back into the Dig Deep (2009) number. Dave Watts and Garrett Sayers kept such a tight pocket the entire evening, with Sayers really proving his case for being one of the best bassists in the scene. Lyle Divinsky is coming into his own as the lead singer in The Motet, and truly finding his comfort zone since joining the band earlier this year.

Second set was a non-stop dance party front to back, with “Extraordinary High” and “The Truth” giving Gabriel Mervine and Drew Sayers some opportunities to shine on trumpet and sax, respectively. And what cannot be said about Joey Porter? My man is a beast on the keys. With Davinsky telling the crowd about his love for 90’s R&B and hip-hop, the group went old-school with a mash-up of Michael McDonald‘s “I Keep Forgettin'” and Warren G and Nate Dogg‘s “Regulate”, which sampled the McDonald original; definitely a major highlight of the night. After a fitting cover of William DeVaughn‘s “Be Thankful For What You Got” which seemed apropos given the memorable performance at what is one truly majestic venue, the group finished with “Closed Mouth Don’t Get Fed”.

A cover of Earth, Wind and Fire‘s “Serpentine Fire” ended the evening on a high note, giving everybody in attendance to get down one last time as we all hopped on the buses back to Fort Collins in high spirits.

Don’t miss The Motet on tour this fall! You can see their full tour schedule here, and look out for exclusive updates on the road from this funky ensemble.

Check out the full setlist below, as well as a full gallery of photos, courtesy of Ali Baker.

Setlist: The Motet at The Mishawaka Amphitheatre – 8/27/16

Set 1: Brother Man > Still Feel Good (Cameo), Ain’t No Way, Fountain, Damn!, Funkify Your Life (The Meters), Fool No More, Nemesis, Back It Up, Keep On Don’t Stoppin’

Set 2: Cloak & Dagger > Extraordinary High, Real Muther For Ya (Johnny Guitar Watson), The Truth, Rynodub, I Keep Forgettin’ (Michael McDonald / Warren G Mash-Up), Tell Everybody, Cheap, Be Thankful For What You Got (William DeVaughn) > Closed Mouth Don’t Get Fed

Encore: Serpentine Fire (Earth Wind & Fire)