Saturday night in NYC was one for the books with the double header of Soulive and Galactic bringing the funk to Terminal 5. The packed house was buzzing with excitement, ready for a double dose of funk provided by some of the best in the biz. The addition of the legendary Cyril Neville to Galactic’s set made for a particularly special show, highlighted by memorable covers of The Meters, Bob Dylan, Curtis Mayfield, the Pointer Sisters and more.

Soulive opened strong with their classic “Hat Trick”, during which guitarist Eric Krasno channeled his inner Jerry Garcia vibe for a short measure. Drummer Alan Evans then took to the mic to introduce everyone before delving into a new tune, “Common”. The band weaved seamlessly through “Common” into an older classic “Shaheed” before crushing on another new one called “BB Gun”. The trio slipped the new songs in without throwing the crowd off with the newness, but the diehards who knew, knew. It was perfect placement and flawless.

New Orleans staple Galactic was next on the docket and ready to bring the funk hard. The band got the crowd into the NOLA spirit from the start, entering the stage to Carnival tunes resemblant of a Mardi Gras morning. They kicked things off in high spirits with a track off their latest album, “Sugar Doosie”. Frequent guest singer Erica Falls joined on shortly after, leading the band through newer track “Right On” into a funky cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “Hard Times”. A powerful rendition of their “Dolla Diva” kept things grooving before delving into Rebirth Brass Band’s “AP Tureaud”. 

The energy in the room exploded as Cyril Neville took the stage, introduced as “the greatest soul singer alive” and ready to prove himself worthy of that title. The New Orleans legend came out grooving to a cover of The Meters’ “Gossip”, for which Neville provided vocals on the original. Continuing with the theme of keeping it in the family, he then busted out “Tell Me What’s On Your Mind”, a Neville Brothers throwback.

Neville briefly departed from the stage as Soulive/Lettuce guitarist Eric Krasno joined on for the very funky “Cineramascope” off Galactic’s Ya-Ka-May. A soulful guitar solo quickly escalated into a rocking jam, prompting a massive dance party from the audience. 

Falls returned to the stage to aid on one of the band’s most well-known, feel-good tracks, “Hey Na Na”. As the band has cycled through several guest singers over the years, this song has been tested out by its fair share of vocalists from across a wide spectrum, including David Shaw of The Revivalists and Maggie Koerner on the studio version. While each of these contributors adds a little something different – Shaw more of an edge perhaps, and Koerner a softer feminine touch – Falls’ dominating stage presence and booming voice on this song really knocked it out of the park. In this moment it was clear that she has gotten into her groove with the band and established herself as a key member.

Falls continued to shine with the highlight of the show, a powerful rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” that had everyone singing and dancing along. She then left the stage as the band was joined by saxophonist Ben Ellman’s cousin, Lucas Ellman of Chicago-based band The Heard, leading the funk army through a grooving rendition of Watts 103rd St Rhythm Band’s “65 Bars And A Taste Of Soul”. Neville rejoined the group for a heavy Meters double header, segueing into a cover of “No More Okey Doke” and following it up with “You’ve Got To Change (You’ve Got To Reform)”, all the while maintaining the good spirits and high energy in the room. Neville left the stage to make way for Falls to close out the show with a crushing version of the Pointer Sisters’ “Going Down Slowly”, her electrifying vocals filling over the room for one last time before the encore.

After a short break, the quintet returned to the stage one last time to play an older original, “Funky Bird”. Finally, Falls and Neville both came out to bring things to a close with The Meters’ “Africa”. The combination of the two dynamic vocalists along with seasoned funk veterans Galactic was out of control, and funk levels were at an all time high with everyone vibing together on stage, raging properly and showing New York how NOLA does it.

Setlist: Soulive at Terminal 5, New York, NY – 3/26/16

Hat Trick, Common, Shaheed, BB Gun, One In Seven, Revolution, PJ’s, Tuesday

Setlist: Galactic at Terminal 5, New York, NY – 3/26/16

Set: Sugar Doosie, Right On, Hard Times, Dolla Diva, AP Tureaud, Gossip, Tell Me What’s On Your Mind, Cineramascope, Hey Na Na, Like A Rolling Stone, 65 Bars And A Taste Of Soul, No More Okey Doke, You’ve Got To Change (You’ve Got To Reform), Going Down Slowly

Encore: Funky Bird, Africa

Photos by James Bell. Full Gallery: