Galactic with JJ Grey & Mofro
January 9, 2010
Revolution Live, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Written by Kate Dingle
Saturday night began with a seemingly endless line of freezing concert goers waiting to buy tickets from the window at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale. What many folks failed to realize was that just a few feet away from the line, employees from the venue were selling the very same tickets on the street to get people out of the cold faster. But when everybody made their way inside, they quickly learned that it wasn’t much warmer.
The music began promptly at 9:30 with co-headliners JJ Grey and Mofro taking the stage first. As soon as the handsome Florida native walked onstage the temperature in the building quickly began to rise. Dressed in fitted Levi’s and cowboy boots, JJ Grey quickly took command of the audience and held every woman under the roof in the palm of his hand. For the next hour and a half, the crowd was taken on a soulful journey through life, love and heartache. Grey’s Florida roots could be heard in nearly every note played and most of the Floridians in the crowd could certainly relate to tunes like “Orange Blossoms” and “Ybor City”. The crowd really got moving to the gritty sound of “Ho Cake” and slow danced to “A Woman”. By the time JJ Grey thanked everyone for coming out, nearly everyone watching was glistening with sweat.
When Galactic finally took the stage, the crowd was warmed up and ready for a party. And party they did. With special guest trombonist Corey Henry leading the way, the quartet from New Orleans wasted no time in showcasing the very heart of their music. Front and center was the NoLa funk that group members Robert Mercurio and Jeff Raines fell in love with upon moving to the Big Easy. With each rip roaring saxophone and trombone duel, the eclectic crowd that came out of the wood works swayed and danced along as if in a trance. Many times throughout the set, Henry would grab a mic and egg the crowd on as he danced around the stage. It was clear that this funky jam band was all about having fun and making sure that everyone watching was having fun too.
What started out as an unbearable night outside, ended as a hot and steamy night full of fantastic musicians. From the very first guitar chord played by JJ Grey to the last trombone slide from Corey Henry and Galactic, the crowd was treated to a melting pot of musical fusion with a side of good ol’ fashioned Florida hospitality.
Photos by Christina Mendenhall
JJ Grey & Mofro
Leave a Reply