Good #MusicMonday to you! Check out round 2 of RAQ headlining Be On Key Psychedelic Ripple!
From the start of this show, it was clear the band’s energy from the previous evening had carried directly over to this set. If you listen to them back-to-back, when Stoops says “Welcome back” you could swear this was simply a third set. The opener “Bob’s Your Uncle” is an infectiously catchy tune that I’m still humming as I write this. It proved a perfect way to reintroduce the crowd to the band on the packed Saturday night. After a funky “Hannah Can” which featured some solid solos from both Chris Michetti and Todd “Octo” Stoops, the band launched into a musical sandwich of “Crazy Tonie -> Waiting In Circles -> Crazy Tonie”. The first segment broke down into a great space-funk jam and after the band segued into and played the main part of “Waiting In Circles” they seemed to pick right back up where the initial jam left off. This eventually peaked into the ending of “Crazy Tonie” in a triumphant shift to the great pleasure of the crowd. The set closed out with Jeremy Salkin of Big Gigantic sitting in for an epic take on Frank Zappa’s “Dirty Love”. While Jeremy’s drumming was fantastic, Chris Michetti’s guitar work stole the show once again, pushing the band to its brink, constantly revving them up into a feverish peak.
The second set was much more exploratory than the first. While there were several highlights there wasn’t any jam all weekend bigger than the second set opener “Shirley Is A Drooler”. The band took the crowd on a 17+ minute journey through psychedelic space funk territories reserved for only the most experienced travelers. As the jam eventually melted into “Brother From Another Mother”, it was clear we had just experienced something special. Not to be out-done, “Brother From Another Mother” contained the second biggest jam of the weekend and got a bit more deconstructed than “Shirley”, traversing swampier and darker regions. The jams continued through “In The Beginning” which featured another broken down segment which featured spastic playing that helped build tension as the band would grow the jam. Next up the band kicked into “Will Run” which segued into a true-to-form cover of Wang Chung’s “Dance Hall Days” then seguing back into some more improv and the ending of “Will Run”. The set closed out similar to the first set, covering a tune by a guitar legend, Jeff Beck’s “Led Boots”. The band then encored with a fiery “Barometric Weather” which showed the same high-energy they exhibited from the start of the show. Both these shows were fantastic and made me realize I’m a much bigger Raq fan than I initially realized. Thanks to Jay Bianchi for bringing them back!
RAQ | 2018-02-03 | Be On Key Psychedelic Ripple, Denver, CO
Set 1: Bob’s Your Uncle > Hannah Can, Crazy Tonie -> Waiting In Circles -> Crazy Tonie, Wax[1], Silhouette[1], Dirty Love (Frank Zappa)[2]
Set 2: Shirley Is A Drooler -> Brother From Another Mother, In The Beginning, Will Run -> Dance Hall Days (Wang Chung) -> Will Run, Led Boots (Jeff Beck)
Encore: Barometric Weather
Thank you to RAQ and Be On Key Psychedelic Ripple for being cool with taping sharing shows. Go see live music and tip your bartenders! #spacetapes
LINK: https://archive.org/d…/RAQ2018-02-03.AKG.P170.AUD.SBD.Matrix
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