In the realm of righteously rockin’ funk music, there are only three words that Atlanta, Georgia needed to know on Friday, March 4th: The Main Squeeze.
Returning to the city after for their first show since New Year’s Eve 2015, the hard touring band took the stage at one of the city’s mainstay venues, Terminal West, for an epic show that left smiles from ear to ear by the time that they were done with the place.
Put succinctly, Squeeze shows are a thing of beauty. The band can flat out play, and it’s as simple as that. Ask anyone who’s witnessed one of their incendiary sets; they’re bound to tell you the exact same thing.
Kicking off the night with “Mama Told Me” from 2012’s eponymous album, the tightly-coiled funk machine gave a blazing preview for the funky mayhem that was about to ensue.
Following through with the early Squeeze classic, “Dr. Funk,” Terminal West’s dance party hit critical mass, exactly where it stayed for the rest of the glorious evening. Truly hitting their stride with the slow building face-melter, “#WWC”, the quintet rolled through a funk-jam rollercoaster that picked up steam with every successive tune.
Dropping into another tasty throwback, “Ebeneezer”, Ben “Smiley” Silverstein took the reins and headed a jam with one of the more massive keyboard solos that one’s likely to find anywhere on this big blue planet. Leaving more than a few jaws on the ground, The Main Squeeze had more up their sleeve for the crowd that night.
Known to bust out choice covers that have included classics that range from the Grateful Dead to Outkast (they dropped into a few verses of the ATL stalwarts’ “Roses” earlier in the night), it was time to pay tribute to one of the greats with a showstopping rendition of the Derek and the Dominoes classic, “Layla.”
Digging deep into the funk grab bag, another standout was a rousing rendition of “In A Funk” that was followed up with the band’s perennial showstopper, “I’ll Take Another.”
If pure energy is what drives audiences, then “I’ll Take Another” offers a sonic buffet with which to feast. Experiencing the song live is one of those moments that words won’t do justice; one has to experience it to truly tap into the feeling.
Taking a short hiatus, The Squeeze returned for a final hurrah that shredded its way into the crowd’s hearts and minds and left everyone begging for one more. As always, the band delivered, and with flying colors at that.
They killed it, tore it down, took no prisoners – whatever you’re idiom of choice, they did it. Moral of the story? Catch these guys live as soon as you can; your ears will thank you.
Setlist: The Main Squeeze at Terminal West, Atlanta, GA – 3/4/16
Mama Told Me > Afterlife Jam > Dr. Funk, #WWC, Two Steps, Ebaneezer, Shot > Sweat Jam, Layla, Tank X-ing > Drums, In a Funk, I’ll Take Another
Encore: Where Do We Go?
Check out a full gallery of photos below, courtesy of Phierce Photography:
