George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners | 2019-06-08 | Teller Lot, Central City, CO [AUD]

I went down to Central City and they all ask’d for George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners!

As the second day of the Central City Jazz Festival rolled-on, we shifted from the Frenchman Stage, which featured stellar sets by Melvin Seals & JGB as well as The Sweet Lillies, to the Fairgrounds Stage at The Teller Lot, which would serve as our final resting place for the final batch of top-notch acts the festival had to offer. So far, this stage had featured sets by the Brothers Of Brass and New Orleans Suspects and now was welcoming George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners to funk things up.

The band ran through several stops in George’s illustrious career, performing Meters classics like “They All Ask’d For You”, “Cissy Strut”, and “What’Cha Say” as well as nods to the Grateful Dead with takes on “They Love Each Other”, “Iko Iko”, and their oft-covered “Turn On Your Love Light”. Each song was enveloped by George’s grizzled voice, which laid itself into each melody like a log in a crackling fire. The band sounded super tight, nailing a series of transitions in both the beginning of the set (“They All Ask’d For You -> Iko Iko -> Cissy Strut”) and in the end (“What’Cha Say -> He Bite Me (The Dragon) -> I Get High -> Turn On Your Love Light”), crafting an engaging set of music that kept the energy level high.

George Porter Jr. has been bringing genuine NOLA funk to the masses for the past 50 years. His bass riffs are some of the most iconic in funk, and his live presence is as commanding as it is endearingly warm and joyous. Any chance you have to bear witness to a living legend like this, is one you should take.

George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners | 2019-06-08 | The Fairgrounds Stage at Teller Lot, Central City, CO

-= One Set =-
01. Is Pray
02. They All Ask’d For You ->
03. Iko Iko ->
04. Cissy Strut
05. They Love Each Other
06. Nice Very Nice
07. Talkin’ About My Old Friends
08. What Cha’ Say ->
09. He Bite Me (The Dragon) ->
10. I Get High ->
11. Turn On Your Love Light

Show Notes: This set was performed on the Fairgrounds Stage at the annual Central City Jazz Festival.

Taper Notes: FOB DFC Mics raised around 9′ PAS.

Thanks to George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners and Central City Jazz Fest for being cool with taping/sharing shows. Go see live music and tip your bartenders! #spacetapes