Following their debut gig as Smith & Watt Steakhouse last month at a tiny club in the Hamptons, which featured a surprise sit-in by Paul McCartney, Grammy-winning producer Andrew Watt and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith headed to Brooklyn, NY’s Brooklyn Bowl late Wednesday night for a second helping of rowdy rock covers and surprise cameos.
Among the first of the many special guests to appear at the show was The Tonight Show host and noted bar karaoke enthusiast Jimmy Fallon, who cut off a cover of Sam & Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Comin'” with his big entrance before leading the band through The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues”. While Fallon never needs much of an excuse to party, he had a particularly good reason for revelry on Wednesday night: When the clock struck midnight, the calendar flipped to his 50th birthday, which the band and crowd feted with “Happy Birthday to You” once he finished his song.
Next up was Fallon’s Tonight Show compatriot/legendary The Roots emcee Black Thought, who performed his crew’s “The Seed (2.0)” before covering (and adding freestyle verses to) Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” and Iggy and The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog”. Later, singer-songwriter, model, and actress Charlotte Lawrence hopped in to sing Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”, The Police’s “Roxanne”, and The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven”.
Slide guitar sensei Robert Randolph got in on the action for a pair of Jimi Hendrix classics, “Voodoo Chile” and “Purple Haze”, before The Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson jumped on with him to lead renditions of Faces gem “Stay With Me” and Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love”. While Robinson took his leave from there, the band never stopped as the set came to a close with a rowdy medley of rockers including Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” and various other Led Zeppelin staples including “Moby Dick” and “Ramble On”.
After a quick encore break, Smith & Watt Steakhouse returned for one final course featuring takes on Prince’s “Purple Rain” and the Allman Brothers Band’s “Whipping Post” with Robert Randolph and a climactic helping of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” featuring Randolph and Charlotte Lawrence.
Other notable performers featured on the show included renowned photographer and Tangiers Blues Band member Danny Clinch (harmonica), SNL house band co-musical director G.E. Smith, and more.
Below, check out some crowd-shot videos and view a gallery of photos from the wild night at Brooklyn Bowl via Andrew Blackstein.
Smith & Watt Steakhouse w/ Jimmy Fallon – “Roadhouse Blues” (The Doors) – 9/18/24
[Video: themeboudin]
Smith & Watt Steakhouse w/ Chris Robinson, Robert Randolph – “Stay With Me” (Faces) – 9/18/24
[Video: Jonathan Cohen]
