The Sinclair in Cambridge, MA welcomed ALO, with opening act ROAR (formerly known as Yojimbo), on Friday night. ALO has been showcasing their ninth and newest album, “Tangle Of Time”, that was newly released on October 2nd.  

The opening performance by ROAR!/Yojimbo was simply spectacular. Those who came to the show late completely missed out on an energetic performance by this power duo. Beats and notes were pouring out of pedals, drums, the trombone, loop machines,  you name it. If you weren’t paying attention, you would never even notice the work these two were putting in on stage to create such trippy flavored sounds that created endless waves of energy. Their command of the instruments created a false sense of a full band on stage. The music flowed seamlessly as they handled multiple instruments and electronic gadgets at once. If you’ve never heard of them, go out and see them immediately. You will walk away a new fan.

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San Francisco based ALO makes rare appearances on the east, as their last stop in Boston was two years ago. This incredible treat filled the venue from top to bottom with fans in anticipation of hearing music from their new album performed live, along with the other gems coming out of hiding to play. ALO consists of Zach Gill on ukulele and keyboards, Steve Adams on bass, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz on guitar, and David Brogan on drums.

ALO opened with an accordion heavy “There Was a Time”. This light and breezy tune eased into a playful guitar jam that took the audience on a dreamy ride with “Dead Still Dance.” The random pounding of the keys danced around the guitar. The piano settled in mid-song and took over for the second half. Brogan took over vocals with “Put Away the Past”, as Gill took out the melodica and jammed out with this fun little instrument. This tune took the audience on a journey with a slow strutting guitar that eventually weaved into a psychedelic, colorful wave of sound. 

Lebowitz gave the slide guitar some action as they busted out “Wasting Time”. The energy in the venue was definitely turning into a hell of an insane party. This jam rolled right into “Falling Dominoes”. It had a funky beat, with splashes of that bouncy slap coming from Adams’ bass creating an island feel as if you should be sipping a margarita on the sand. The venue was dancing up a storm.

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The set closed out to a spectacular performance of “Maria”. The piano heavy tune turned into a powerful jam midway as Lebowitz took it wide open. His guitar extended around the edges of the song before taking it on a wild ride as he lost himself in the energetic jam he was throwing out to everyone. It was, to put it mildly, simply incredible. Absolute mind-blowing performance to end set one. ALO was on fire. 

“The Ticket” opened up the second set then slowed the vibe down as they went into a chilled out smooth beat with “Try”. “Coast to Coast” took listeners on a magic carpet ride of kaleidoscopic sound. They took the jam wide open as they weaved in and out of tones between the organ and guitar. It was easy to forget what song they were performing with this vibrant tune. 

Gill interacted with the audience as he took out some balls of yarn, that were thrown up on stage during the first set, and tangled it around the musicians and their instruments.  He then threw them out into the audience and asked to have it passed around. The yarn eventually made it all the way to the top of the balcony, creating a spider web over the venue. “I Love Music” was performed while the audience was having a blast passing the yarn around. A smooth and creamy “Girl, I Wanna Lay You Down” flowed with a jazz beat. Being in Boston, they threw in touches of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline”, which really got the audience on a high. 

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“Plastic Bubble” had Gill busting out the laser shooting ukulele during this lighthearted song. Adams went into an extended bass slapping performance during “Pobrecito” which then flowed into the set ending, and a big fan favorite, “Barbeque”. Heavy audience participation started off this song, while the musicians barely played.  It was a fantastic performance as the song built in energy before closing out second set. 

The venue was treated to a double encore with “Speed of Drums”, followed by “Roses & Clover” to end the evening’s performance.  ALO did not disappoint the audience with their high energy performance.  Lets just hope Boston doesn’t have to wait another two years before they come around again. Tour dates can be found here.

Setlist: ALO at The Sinclair, Boston, MA – 10/9/15

Set One: There Was A Time, Dead Still Dance, Put Away the Past, Blew Out the Walls, Wasting Time (IV Song) Part 1>Falling Dominoes, Push, Maria

Set Two: The Ticket, Try, Coast to Coast, I Love Music, Girl, I Wanna Lay You Down, Plastic Bubble, Pobrecito>Barbeque

Encore: Speed of Dreams, Roses & Clover

Words by Sarah Bourque Follow on Twitter