Spafford & TryMore MOJO Team Up In Dallas [Photos/Videos]

Spafford and TryMore MOJO treated fans in Dallas to a night of musical exploration at The Studio by The Factory on Saturday.

MOJO came out to start the evening strong, marking the band’s first time playing for a hometown crowd in two months. Starting off with a spacey jam, the group dropped into an energetic “Stare Off Funk” that had the crowd dancing like it was the peak of the evening, not the start. Medz was in top form driving the rhythms with Cody while Leland flawlessly directed the band through “ICP”, then into a supreme “Latch Blueberry Yum Yum” sandwich with Cody flawlessly delivering the raps and Evan mastering a four-minute solo that harkened the metal gods of rock and showed the crowd they were here to have a great time for their local Jamily.

MOJO’s set was capped off with a soaring “Next Flight”. Leland masterfully laid the keys down while the band drove the energy till the end of the song. To say the band was missed by its local friends would be an understatement. We needed this set from our hometown heroes.

After a brief changeover, Spafford was ready for the stage. The Arizona-bred jam band came to show Dallas a great time for its last RTX show of the run, immediately bringing a high-energy “Double Time” into “Doghouse” into “Part II”. The crowd roared, seeking the jams that would fill their bellies. After a quick thanks, the band bounded into a a cover of Blind Faith‘s “Can’t Find My Way Home” that would have woken Ginger Baker from his grave. Never pumping the break, Brian Moss, Jordan Fairless, Andrew “Red” Johnson, and Nick Tkachyk jammed right into “Backdoor Funk”, off their new album, Simple Mysteries, which lasted an angelic 17 minutes to finish off their first set.

Following a quick 20-minute break, Spafford returned to the stage and kicked off set two with a heavy bass-driven “Fünkenseven”. Brian and Red played keys and guitar off each other before chilling the jam out as Leland from TryMore MOJO took the stage for a masterful sit-in. The keys led the next song, “Leave the Light On”, as Red and Leland showed what two masters can do, playing off each other and then swapping sides of the key station as they jammed into fan favorite, “The Postman”. (Personally, I had waited seven shows to see “The Postman” and to say it was glorious would be an understatement.) Leland was thankful as he exited the stage.

Red then implored the crowd to donate to the raffle and check out TryMore MOJO before Spafford rocked into “Comfortable” with teases of the Grateful Dead‘s “Feel Like A Stranger”, which merged into “Space Gadget”, displaying the fact that this band can play anything, even jamtronica. Spafford would finish the set off with a mind-blowing disco funk cover of Tears for Fears “Mad World” that had the whole house jumping and screaming. This was supposed to be the last song, but the ravenous crowd demanded more. The band was off stage not even two minutes before returning to encore with a romantic “Lovesick Melody” and a grounded “Soil”.

There is always a lot to do in Dallas on a Saturday night, but if you missed this show, I am sorry. It was one for the books—an empowering example of how jam music is very much alive in the Dallas scene!

Spafford – “Soil” – 11/12/22