Show Review - Orebolo 2/9/24 Port Chester, NY

Set 1: Mr. Action, Jack-A-Roe^[1], Dr. Darkness^[2], Flodown, Hang Me, Oh Hang Me^[3], Creatures^[4], Don't Be Cruel^[5], Louise^[6], It Burns Within, Animal

Set 2: Hungersite, Red Bird, Seekers On The Ridge Part I > Seekers On The Ridge Part II, Echo of a Rose^[7], Love More^[8], Tennessee Jed^[9], This Old Sea, The Empress Of Organos

Encore: Silver Rising

Coach's Notes:
    [1] Traditional.
    [2] FTP as Orebolo.
    [3] Dave Van Ronk.
    [4] Unfinished.
    [5] Elvis Presley. FTP as Orebolo.
    [6] Bonnie Raitt.
    [7] Fast version.
    [8] Sharon Van Etten. FTP.
    [9] Grateful Dead.

Orebolo returned to the Capitol Theatre last night for the second of three sold-out concerts on their 2024 “world tour.” Vibes were even higher than Thursday night’s show, as the packed room was attentive throughout the performance, singing along when appropriate and being quiet during the bulk of the songs.

The trio opened the night with “Mr. Action,” a song very comfortable in that slot as part of Goose shows. Guitarist Peter Anspach took an excellent solo on the tune as the crowd settled in for the show. “Jack-A-Roe” came next, ahead of the Orebolo debut of Goose staple “Dr. Darkness.” Jeff Arevalo’s dissonant upright bass work on the brief intro was excellent – as always.

“Flodown” offered a unique take on the song, its bluegrassy vibe fitting the set perfectly before Dave Van Ronk’s “Hang Me, Oh Hang Me.” A unique take on the dance grooves of “Creatures” gave way to a gorgeous major-key jam, stepping outside the song’s usual mode – even skipping the final vocal outro that typically comes before the improv.

Mitarotonda then took a second to comment “and now...the moment you’ve all been waiting for” as the band launched into the obligatory Elvis cover – the Orebolo debut of “Don’t Be Cruel,” performed once by Goose in Vegas in 2022. A beautiful “Louise” gave way to one of my favourite and most emotional originals, “It Burns Within,” a Goose rarity that is an acoustic staple.

Even moreso than Thursday, the crowd’s attention was focused on the band during the quiet parts of the songs, listening well and keeping the chomping to a minimum – but everyone also knew the proper times to cut loose and sing along, which is exactly what happened during the set-closing “Animal.” Always an opportunity for involvement with Goose, the acoustic version just emphasizes the joy in everyone’s voices as they sang the catchy chorus – and the band treated us to an extended jam that hit into an excellent major-key Type II space before coming home to conclude.

The second set began with “Hungersite,” keeping the energy strong and eliciting more singing from us. “Red Bird” continued that trend as Orebolo eschewed the jam in favour of an extended turn in the “Straight Bird’n” vocal round. “Seekers on the Ridge” offered a cool-down (and a bathroom break for some) before a quick, uptempo “Echo of a Rose” closed out the long stretch of originals to begin the second frame.

The debut of Sharon Van Etten’s “Love More” was an incredible part of the set ahead of “Tennessee Jed,” the second Grateful Dead song of the weekend to grace the legendary venue. Returning to original songs, a gorgeous “This Old Sea” left nary a dry eye in the house before a rocking “Empress of Organos” closed the set with – you guessed it – more singing from every single voice.

With a “Silver Rising” encore, Orebolo sent the Friday night crowd off into the night full of joy after witnessing another incredible night of acoustic magic – and it is magic. We have one night to go, a ton of songs still on the table, and a boatload of gratitude for the three musicians who are bringing us so much joy this weekend.