Melvin Seals & Jerry Garcia Band brought their new-and-improved lineup, which now features drummer Jeremy Hoeing and singer Darlene Coleman, to The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY on Saturday.
The modern embodiment of JGB, headed by Jerry Garcia‘s longtime friend and collaborator Melvin Seals on his faithful B3 organ, played their seventh show of the year on Saturday, following a run of four concerts in Hawaii and two in California. The concert was a resounding statement that the tradition of JGB would live on as the band continues to change and add members. Seals and company picked right back up with a show full of JGB classics, kicking off with Marvin Gaye‘s “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)”, which segued into “The Harder They Come”, into a jam of Bob Marley‘s “Them Belly Full”, and finally “Cats Under The Stars” to complete the marathon series of segues. Melvin Seals & JGB also played through some Bob Dylan tracks favorited by Garcia, including “It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry” and “Tangled Up In Blue”, the latter of which closed the first set.
The second set featured some unorthodox song choices, including “Let’s Spend The Night Together” by The Rolling Stones which was followed by “Here Comes The Sun” by The Beatles. The ensemble then returned to more familiar territory as they segued into “Hey Pocky Way”, followed by “Run For The Roses”. After that, however, came another unconventional, but well-received, song choice of “Help On The Way” into “Slipknot!” from the Grateful Dead catalog. The band then threw audiences for a loop by not completing the movement with “Franklin’s Tower”, but instead closing out the show with “Dancing in the Street”.
Fan-shot video of most of the band’s concert is available on Facebook.
Melvin Seals & JGB – The Capitol Theatre – 3/7/20
Melvin Seals & JGB – The Capitol Theatre – 3/7/20
Next up, Melvin Seals & JGB travel to Ardmore Music Hall in Ardmore, Pennsylvania for a show tonight, Sunday, March 8th. The band will travel around the Midwest through the month of March, before a brief run in the Northeast, and eventually heading West in April. For tickets and a full list of tour dates, head to the band’s website.
Scroll down to see a gallery of photos courtesy of Andrew Blackstein.
Setlist: Melvin Seals & JGB | The Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY | 3/7/20
Set one: How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (Marvin Gaye) > The Harder They Come (Jimmy Cliff) > Them Belly Full (jam) (Bob Marley) > Cats Under The Stars, That Lucky Old Sun (Beasley Smith & Haven Gillespie), It’s Samba Night, It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry (Bob Dylan), Tangled Up In Blue (Bob Dylan)
Set two: Someday Baby (Bob Dylan), Let’s Spend The Night Together (The Rolling Stones), Here Comes The Sun (The Beatles) >Hey Pocky Way (The Meters), Run For The Roses, Help On The Way > Slipknot! >Dancing In The Street (Marvin Gaye, William Stevenson, Ivy Jo Hunter)
