On Friday night, Pink Talking Fish headlined for the very first time at the iconic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. Opening the show was Reed Mathis and Electric Beethoven, which had fans quickly filling the room once they took to the stage. Funky beats and electrified jams got the night moving, massaging the audience with tasty vibes.

After a quick intermission, Pink Talking Fish took to the stage and blasted out of the gate straight into Phish’s “Harpua” before flowing into the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer,” which was crammed with spacey guitar and keys. Without missing a beat, the band walked right into Pink Floyd’s “In the Flesh,” making sure to hit all three of the bands that make up their name right off the bat. Turkuaz’s Sammi Garrett joined the group during a delicate performance of “Heaven.” Continuing with slowly adding members throughout the night, Kung Fu’s Adrian Tramontano took his place behind the percussion just in time for a steamrolling “Thank You For Sending Me An Angel,” which was heavy on riffs from guitarist Dave Brunyak, and pounding keys from Richard James.

The quick pace continued with “Llama” before cooling things down a notch with “Found A Job,” which brought John Braun, of Start Making Sense, to the mic.  Braun came out wearing the infamous “big suit,” as worn by David Byrne in the movie, Stop Making Sense. The other female half of Turkuaz made an appearance, as Shira Elias joined Garrett on the mic for “Slippery People.” Pink Floyd’s “Great Gig in the Sky” was the perfect ensemble to introduce Jen Durkin, of Deep Banana Blackout, to the stage, as she put her blasting pipes to use during this number, gaining a vocal reaction from the crowd in response to her incredible talent.

“Burning Down the House” welcomed the Turkuaz Horns to the stage. Starting from a low boil, to full steam ahead, this song had the venue jumping and simply going nuts. The guests for the show were complete, as Leo Nocentelli, of The Meters, hit the stage with his guitar beats during “Gumbo.” The group tipped their hat to The Meters with their tune, “Fire On the Bayou,” before sliding right back into “Gumbo.”

The stage was crammed with musicians during “Life During Wartime” and “Another Brick in the Wall” as the entire ensemble of guests performed on stage with the band. “2001” not only featured the Turkuaz Horns strutting their stuff, but Jay Lane, Reed Mathis, and Clay Welch of Electric Beethoven made an appearance, really giving the audience an ever changing cast of characters contributing to the musical journey of the evening. “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody),” a heavy Talking Heads favorite, finally made its appearance on the set list. Fans around the theater had arms waving in the air, showing their excitement as the first notes dropped.

The energy was nonstop as they flew into “Once In A Lifetime,” keeping the fans full with intense vibes being thrown around the Capitol.  A surprisingly devilish Edgar Winter Group jam reared it’s head on the set as a trippy “Frankenstein” captivated the audience. The Tom Tom Club’s dazzling “Genius of Love,” led by drummer Zack Burwick, extended the surprising tunes showing up during the evening.

Wrapping up the nonstop set, Pink Talking Fish sandwiched the entire evening with a reprise of “Harpua,” which initially kicked the entire show off. The night encored with “Crosseyed and Painless,” which featured every musician on stage and ending with a bow of thanks to the fans.  Pink Talking Fish did not just put on a hot show for fans, they put on a musically choreographed performance of epic proportions for their headlining debut at the Capitol Theatre.

For more information on Pink Talking Fish, as well as tour dates, please visit their official website. Full audio of the show can be streamed below, courtesy of Keith Litzenberger:

Check out the full setlist and a gallery from Capacity Images, below.

Setlist: Pink Talking Fish “Stops Making Sense” | The Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY | 2/3/17

Set: Harpua >
Psycho Killer >
In The Flesh >
Heaven {
Thank You For Sending Me An Angel$ >
Llama
Found A Job*
Slippery People*^
Great Gig In The Sky^% >
Burning Down The House^%=
Gumbo+= >
Fire On The Bayou+= >
Gumbo+=
Life During Wartime+++
Another Brick In The Wall+++
Making Flippy Floppy*^=$$ >
Carini >
Swamp*
Have A Cigar* >
What A Day That Was*^=
2001=++ >
This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)*^
Once In A Lifetime*^= >
Frankenstein=
Genius Of Love^
Girlfriend Is Better*^%= >
Another Brick In The Wall Reprise*^%= >
Take Me To The River+++ >
Harpua

E: Crosseyed and Painless+++

{ w/ Sammi Garett on vocals
*w/ John Braun of Start Making Sense: Talking Heads Tribute on vocals
^ w/ Sammi Garett & Shira Elias of Turkuaz on vocals
%w/ Jen Durkin of Deep Banana Blackout on vocals
= w/ The Turkuaz Horns
+ w/ Leo Nocentelli of The Meters on guitar
++w/ Reed Mathis, Jay Lane & Clay Welch of Electric Beethoven
$w/ Runaway Jim tease
$$w/ Rift tease
+++w/ Full Ensemble
Note: Adrian Tramontano of Kung Fu played percussion for the entire show except for Harpua, Psycho Killer, In The Flesh & Heaven

Words by Sarah Bourque. Photography by Chris Capaci.