I love a good concert. Checking my calendar I knew Gov’t Mule was playing the Warrner on Saturday which I wanted to hit and then saw the Karl Denson show at the 9:30 Club the day before. Karl was doing his spring tour and for a few dates with Melvin Seal sitting in on keys for certain dates. Seeing the two together was enough reason for me to get my ticket.
I just saw Karl in early February. That was out in Portland for a quick Saturday show. That performance was really good. I flew out on Saturday and was back to work on time Tuesday morning. That show was really killer so I was looking forward to seeing them on my home turf.
The local opening act wasn’t half bad. Of Tomorrow had their moments of genius but I didn’t think it was as good as The Main Squeeze from Portland who in my opinion killed it late that night. The band also had this gimmick about giving away a unicorn if you gave your email up to a mailing list. Not many people showed up to see them in the beginning but by the end of their set the place started to fill out. Never did it get to crowded during either performance which was fine with me. I spent my time up on the balcony with plenty of room to dance without worrying about the person next to me.
Alan Evans was again manning the drums and really had a good rhythm. I am glad I keep seeing him so much after all these years. Early Soulive is still some of the best music I have in my collection. With Alan continuing in these diverse rolls I think it makes him a better musician as well. All night the band did a good job of mixing the old with the new. Near the end of the set they finally played some stuff from The Bridge. KDTU was another band from that era that I fell in love with.
Karl has toured with other acts regularly in addition to his duties with his name sake KDTU. Besides Phish I can’t think of another band I have seen so quickly that wasn’t a stint at the same venue. Show was really good and I left satisfied with the performance. The show got a pretty late start and went well past what I thought it would. In the end we got a solid performance with some high lights from his early work. Throw on top of that Alan Evin and then Melvin Seals sitting in on keys for a few performances and it was a night worth remembering.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe with Melvin Seal
Friday, May 19th 2017
9:30 Club – Washington DC
Set 1 (start at 10:50 pm)
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Set over at 12:47am
Encore starts at 12:48am
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House lights at 12:55am