Last night, The Revivalists played to a sold-out Brooklyn Bowl in New York City. Their attendees trickled in from every corner of the map, and beyond, coming together as a mass of strangers and leaving tickled in new friendships. The Revivalists are a band that creates friendships, where the common love of a song like “Soulfight” can start up a conversation that will eventually go on for the rest of their lives. There is a degree of intimate relatability to their music that only those who understand will understand.

(Shout out: RevHeads, a group of 1,800 fans who have joined together in a Facebook group to share their love and support for the band, extending their relationships so far as to coordinate pre-concert meet-ups, Secret Santa exchanges, and regular hangs.)

The Revivalists are the only band that I’ve ever seen who has the ability to make every grown man in the audience sing every lyric to every song at the top of their lungs. So when the night jumped into “Catching Fireflies,” the room erupted. The bar, crowded with people, was instantly deserted, as the pig-tail wearing frontman that is David Shaw sang about overcoming personal destruction and finding a new light in the day. His voice is one that will eternally echo in your soul from the moment it first rings live in your ears.

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The room was pulsing with musical love, as the band dove right into “All In The Family” and rocked the faces off anyone within an ear shot. It felt familiar to start with these songs, like it was their way of saying, “Remember us? Here we are now,” then dropping all of their mics at the same time.

The New Orleans based septet continued on with more songs from their most recent album Men Amongst Mountains, bringing emotional anthems “Monster,” “Amber,” “It Was A Sin,” and the ultimate break-up songs, “Move On” and “Fade Away,” to an already heated up crowd.

As if the band communicated strictly through vibes, each member and their corresponding instruments gave everything they had for an epic “Stand Up” rocker. Starting with the all-knowing keys intro from Michael Girardot, guitarist Zack Feinberg and pedal steel player Ed “Shred” Williams led the song through a dance-heavy number while Rob Ingraham spoiled us all with his soul-quenching saxophone soloing alongside Girardot, also simultaneously playing the trumpet, only to be backed up by the baddest rhythmateers George Gekas on bass and the ever-beat-clapping Andrew Campanelli on drums.

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The band brought it back down for an ever-bluesy “Need You,” wringing out any emotion worthy of question as, yet again, the room sang in personal understanding and self-proclaimed relatability. It is truly remarkable to see a band visit so many different genres within their music, and having a voice like Shaw’s on this planet, with so many vocal ranges that extend far beyond any comparable artist of our time, truly makes for an unbelievable feeling within the heart. Collectively, their music is a testament of the truth.

While every song somehow turns into being an “oh my gosh, this is my favorite one,” the band welcomed fellow sax-man Lucas Ellman for a rendition of “Upright” from their 2014 release City of Sounds. The song took an entirely new life, with wailing instrumentation and a jam that extended well beyond the norm, melting the room into a puddle of soul-satisfying wonderment. “Music is the #1 drug, y’all,” Shaw told the crowd, before leading a crowd-sourced sing-a-long “Keep Going,” multiplying the vibes by a trillion.

“Wish I Knew You” made a triumphant entrance, as everyone and their mothers sang about finding love too late and chasing down the dreams of fate. “Criminal” closed the set on the highest of notes before the band exited the stage, leaving the crowd loose like a power chord dripping in electricity.

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The smoke rose once again as Feinberg and Shaw returned for an acoustic “King Of What” medley that tells the tale of an ongoing war with one’s self over a redundant love that is dangerous, yet victorious. The rest of the band trickled in for “Soulfight,” which for any long-time supporter of The Revivalists, is a go-to song from their 2008 self-titled EP. The song speaks volumes to any predicament one might find themselves in, touching upon the thoughts of growing up, making mistakes, and realizing things about love. With a constant reminder to take care of your own, the song echoes with an overwhelming truth of hardships. 

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The encore extended into a third song, welcoming very special guest Brandon Niederauer, also known as “Taz” in the music scene that he has become so familiar within. The thirteen-year-old shredder made a huge impression with his straying guitar solos during the Dr. Dre / Eminem classic, “Forgot About Dre.” Warren Haynes had performed this song with the band once before on the same stage, though they’d put it away in their rotating setlists for quite some time.

Last night was the perfect time to re-introduce the hip-hop scorcher. With rap verses brilliantly shared between Shaw and Ingraham, and the rip-roaring guitar riffs between Feinberg and Williams, the grooves were harder than ever between Campanelli and Gekas, as the little kid on the stage eventually had everyone in the room on their knees in disbelief. It was the perfect way to close their sold-out return to the Brooklyn Bowl, as everyone wants a piece of The Revivalists’ party.

Thanks to Marc Millman, we can relive some of last night’s contagious energy with this epic video!

“Forgot About Dre” with Taz

“Soulfight”

“It Was A Sin”

The Revivalists @ The Brooklyn Bowl 5/11/16:

Set: Catching Fireflies, All in the Family, Monster, Amber, It Was A Sin, Move on, Fade away, Stand Up, Need You, Upright (w/ Lucas Ellman), Keep Going, Wish I Knew You, Criminal

E: King of What, Soulfight, Forgot about DRE w/ Brandon

Photos by Andrew Blackstein. Full Gallery: