To ring in 2018, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong took over the Madison Theater in Covington, Kentucky for their New Year’s Eve celebration. Throughout their show, the Baltimore-based funk act worked in a number of classic Disney tunes alongside the group’s more typical catalog.
With all members of the group dressed as Mickey Mouse in his familiar outfit of red pants and suspenders, black shirts, and mouse ears, Pigeons wasted no time getting to work, opening the show with the Lion King opening and the 20th Century Fox theme and giving a glimpse to fans as to what was in store for the rest of the evening. Mixed in with takes on their own tunes like “Walk Outside”, “King Kong”, and “Something For Ya” were covers of The Lion King’s “Mighty Jungle” (“The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, originally made famous in 1961 by The Tokens), “Hakkunah Matatah”, and “Just Can’t Wait To Be King” in addition to a rendition of Moana’s “Shiny”.
For the second set, the band returned first with “Too Long”, a tune off the group’s most recent album Pizazz, and a fan-pleasing rendition of “Poseidon” before a take on “Auld Lange Syne” to start off 2018. Returning to their Disney theme, the group pulled some tunes inspired by Aladdin, including “A Whole New World”, “Arabian Nights”, and Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride”. Housed in a “Horizon” sandwich, the group worked in a cover of Jungle Book’s “Bare Necessities”, which was then followed by covers of “When You Wish Upon A Shooting Star” and “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” and their original new tune “Dawn A New Day”.
[Video: Silas Tockey]
Rounding out the show, the group used “Schwanthem” as a jumpoff point for a take on Pochahontos’ “Color Of The Wind” before ending the show with a return to “Schwanthem” and “The Liquid”. For Pigeons Playing Ping Pong’s encore, the group laid out a standout rendition of “Couldn’t We All” before performing the “Mickey Mouse Club” introduction theme, then finishing out the show in full with a “Zydeco” sandwich featuring “A Tale As Old As Time”.
You can check out a full gallery of photos from the show below, courtesy of Phierce Photography.
Setlist: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong | Madison Theater | Covington, KY | 12/31/2017
Set One: Circle of Life Intro* > 21st Century Fox > Melting Lights Walk Outside > The Lion Sleeps Tonight > Walk Outside King Kong > Shiny* > King Kong Sunny Day Hakuna Matata* > Time To Ride Somethin’ For Ya > I Just Can’t Wait To Be King*
Set Two: Too Long Poseidon% > Auld Lang Syne^ > A Whole New World*^ > Magic Carpet Ride # > Poseidon Horizon > I Wanna Be Like You* > Bare Necessities* > I Wanna Be Like You > Horizon > When You Wish Upon A Star*^ Dawn A New Day Skipjack > Can You Feel The Love Tonight* Schwanthem > Colors of The Wind* > Schwanthem > The Liquid
Encore: Couldn’t We All > M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E* Zydeko > Tale As Old As Time*^ > Zydeko
Notes: * First time played | ^ Instrumental | % w/ NYE countdown | # w/ “Arabian Nights” and “How Far I’ll Go” teases