reCAP :: Blue Roadhouse Orchestra :: 2014.07.30
It All began in a psychedelic haze, in the thick of Grateful Dead weirdness. Blue Roadhouse Orchestra drifted into a “Playin’ in the Band” reprise to kick off their gig at Garcia’s. Keeping with the freewheeling vibe, the band unveiled the Holy Grail, “Morning Dew” with the second song. It was a rather ambitious opening, but the BRO was on fire, inspired by their surroundings in Garcia’s. The place was packed, but it wasn’t a typical Deadhead crowd. Blue Roadhouse Orchestra has a loyal following in the Westchester area, and Dead tunes are only a part of their repertoire. But on this night BRO transformed into Grateful Bro as they blazed their way through a pair of high-octane Dead sets.
Grateful Bro let it all hang out in a marathon first set. They had the joint jumping and stomping to “Sampson & Delilah,” “Big River,” and “Woman Are Smarter.” Although there was barely a tie-dye amongst the shirt tucked into pants crowd, everybody was singing along as if these songs were their birthright—great music transcends wardrobe. The band took this occasion to break out their first version of “High Time.” The pace was chill and relaxed, as it should be, and Cliff Mays delivered the vocals in that heart-wrenching Garcia style that we all love. Mays and Marc Jacoby were the dueling “Jerry’s,” switching off the role of lead guitar. Backed by thundering bass and two drummers, the axe men shared and shredded the solos .
An epic outburst concluded the first set: “Music Never Stopped,” “Ranble on Rose,” “Sugar Magnolia,” Mississippi Half Step,” “Bertha.” These renditions had a muscular 1977 Grateful Dead sound—abundant no-nonsense jamming. It was a vigorous cardio session for both the band and the audience. Being that it was around midnight on Wednesday and Grateful Bro had crammed an entire show into one set, about half of the audience had checked out during the brief intermission.
Things loosened as the band drifted from song to song in typical second set Dead fashion. The Shakedown Street > Uncle John’s Band > Comes a Time combination was a pleasurable journey that reminded me of the way the Grateful Dead would open a set circa 1980. In one of these song transitions, the band kicked up a Miles Davis “In a Silent Way” riff for a little while. Coming out of a post drums jam, Grateful Bro thrilled those that remained with a hypnotic “Eyes of the World.” This was the second time I’ve seen these cats at Garcia’s, and I don’t think they repeated any songs. That’s pretty impressive for a band that isn’t strictly a Dead cover band. Blue Roadhouse Orchestra will be playing in Garcia’s after the Steely Dan show in the Cap on September 19. That promises to be another memorable musical marathon in Port Chester.