Vulfpeck Debuts "Soft Parade" At Kings Theatre Opener

Vulfpeck descended upon Kings Theatre last night for their first of two nights, marking the first time they’ve played the historic venue after years of playing multi-night runs at Brooklyn Bowl and Brooklyn Steel. The natural next step, while keeping it “BK”, was a two-night, sold-out run at Brooklyn’s finest theatre.

Following their new album announcement earlier this week, the anticipation for Vulfpeck to return to the east coast was at an all-time high. The quartet that is Jack Stratton, Joe Dart, Woody Goss, and Theo Katzman continues to impress, as they began chapter one of yet another internationally sold-out tour.

Vulfpeck often invites a similar, reliable cast of musical masters to the stage during their Brooklyn residencies, and the Friday night run-opener was no different. Singer/songwriter/keyboardist/saxophonist/all-around-great-guy Joey Dosik opened the show to a nearly-full room, delivering beauties from his 2016 Game Winner EP and 2018’s Inside Voice, then stuck around to perform a number of tunes with Vulfpeck during their headlining slot.

Like a family-style dinner, guitarist Cory Wong played the majority of the set as the unofficial/official fifth member. Dosik, too, popped on and off the stage to deliver a mix of slinky saxophone solos and heartwarming vocals throughout the night, including an especially exciting “Baby I Don’t Know Oh Oh”. Perhaps no musical contribution is more attached to the Vulfpeck catalogue than the voice of Sir Antwaun Stanley. Affectionally dubbed Twaun, the gospel-raised soul-stirrer made his Vulf debut on 2013’s “Wait For The Moment,” then kept the hit momentum with later years’“1 for 1, DiMaggio”, “1612,”, “Aunt Leslie”, and “Funky Duck”–all of which were played last night in that order (with “Wait For the Moment” to close). With Joey Dosik, Cory Wong, and Antwaun Stanley all on the stage, Vulfpeck was officially in beast mode—playing all of the favorites, with special guests throughout.

Local Richie Rodriguez (who we can all thank for the musicality of drummer/guitarist/vocalist Theo Katzman) remained faithful to the band during the entire set, weaving his percussive accents in and out of the funk/pop-tinged compositions. Jazz trombonist Melissa Gardiner came in like a rocket of sound, instantly becoming a staple in the live premiere of “Soft Parade”, which was officially released yesterday. Mark Dover also delivered, providing the classic clarinet parts that otherwise would only appear in the studio.

Friday night’s audience was appreciatively treated to a career-spanning setlist, including “Fugue State,” “Beastly,” and hit-favorites “Back Pocket” and “Christmas In LA.” Fans were also awarded 2016’s “Cory Wong,” “El Chepe,” “Daddy, He Got A Tesla,” “Dean Town”, and “Animal Spirits”, as well as 2017’s “Birds of a Feather” and “Running Away”. The show culminated with a “wedding set” that featured Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back”, The Four Seasons’ “Oh What A Night”, and Earth Wind & Fire’s “September” (appropriately, on the 21st of September) nestled between instrumental essentials “Speedwalker” and “It Gets Funkier VI”. Toward the end of the set, Cory Wong returned to the stage in a Sebastian Grey Phish-inspired sport coat, garnering huge applause from the fellow phans in the crowd.

Vulfpeck will return to the stage tonight, before heading to Europe for their next run of gigs. Head to the band’s website for more information.

You can watch some fan-shot highlight videos from last night’s show below:

“Soft Parade”