Ahead of Super Bowl LIV last Sunday, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong delivered a special “PPPPre-Party Halftime Hall of Fame” livestream from New York’s Brooklyn Bowl on Saturday. On Wednesday, the funky bird band premiered a video from the show that finds Pigeons stringing together the original “Couldn’t We All” with NSYNC‘s “Bye Bye Bye”, The Weeknd‘s “Blinding Lights”, and ending with another original, “The Liquid”.
The concert served as a tribute to fan-favorite Super Bowl halftime shows of the past, which also contained a nod to the following day’s show featuring The Weeknd. Throughout the concert, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong strung together elaborate segues comprised of their original music paired up with beloved covers from James Brown, Bruce Springsteen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Prince, Stevie Wonder, and many more.
In the video, PPPP kicks off the movement with the stanky reggae funk of “Couldn’t We All”. This video is indicative of the show as a whole, as the band uses its originals as a springboard to flow seamlessly into covers. The jam of “Couldn’t We All” rolls right into a rock-fueled “Bye Bye Bye” that still carries remnants of the reggae beat from the preceding track.
Though the lyrics to the boy band classic were on everyone’s lips 20 years ago, it’s impressive that frontman Greg Ormont was still able to nail them all before the band descends into the mists of improvisation, setting themselves up for The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights”. While there may not be much overlap in the Venn diagram of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong fans and The Weeknd fans, one must still admire the translation of the pop anthem into a roaring rocker which gets some of the deepest improvisation of the movement. Following a brief reprise of “Couldn’t We All”, the series of segues finally comes to a head with an amped-up run through an always-welcome “The Liquid”.
Watch Pigeons Playing Ping Pong mash up their own songs with NSYNC and The Weeknd during the “PPPPre-Party Halftime Hall of Fame” livestream at Brooklyn Bowl.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong – “Couldn’t We All” > “Bye Bye Bye” (NSYNC) > “Blinding Lights” (The Weeknd) > “The Liquid” – Brooklyn, NY – 2/6/21
[Video: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong]