The human body is made up of 206 bones and on Wednesday, February 28th, the voice of Paul Janeway touched every single one of them during a dynamic, soul-shaking performance at The Egg in Albany. Along with his 7-piece powerhouse jazz ensemble, St. Paul & the Broken Bones cooked up a near perfect mix of colorful showmanship, joyful jams, and fantastic fan interaction as the band not only celebrated their third time playing the beloved venue, but also the ten year anniversary of their breakthrough debut album, Half The City. It was their first time back in the area since wowing the crowd last year at the annual Saratoga Jazz Festival.
A wet and windy Wednesday night outside The Egg, things started cooking inside with an impressive opening set from Bowling Green, Kentucky’s Sugadaisy. Combining a modern grunge vibe with a healthy dose of psychedelic pop, the venue’s excellent acoustics made them sound huge right off the rip. Sparked by a Daniel Johnston Hi, How Are You T-shirt worn by one of the guitarists, there were moments you simply couldn’t help but think of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain. Unsure what to make of Sugadaisy at first, by the time they finished their short, but energetic set, it’s fair to say they’d won the Albany crowd over and earned a slew of new fans. Following a brief set change, it was finally time for St. Paul & the Broken Bones to take over.
Rising to prominence with over a decade of near constant touring, the Birmingham, Alabama-based rock n’ soul band boasts more than a million monthly listeners on Spotify, have released 5 studio albums and shared stages with a veritable who’s-who of music royalty that includes the likes of Sir Elton John and The Rolling Stones. Known for the signature falsetto voice of their flamboyant frontman Paul Janeway (aka St. Paul), The Broken Bones also consist of bassist Jesse Phillips, guitarist Browan Lollar, drummer Kevin Leon, keyboard player Al Gamble, trumpeter Allen Branstetter, trombonist Chad Fisher and Amari Ansari on saxophone.
Kicking off their headlining set in style, each member of The Broken Bones came out one-by-one to the darkened stage, seamlessly picking up their instruments to join in on the opening “Marvin Jam” before the always dapper-looking Janeway sauntered out of the shadows to a massive applause. Instantly turning up the funk with “Flow With It (You Got Me Feeling Like), St. Paul & the Broken Bones wasted no time getting right to their biggest chart topping hit, “Call Me,” which the crowd immediately recognized and sang along to. All warmed up and feeling good, Janeway would take a brief moment to acknowledge the audience and make note that their debut album, Half the City, had been released ten years ago this week. Thanking the crowd for helping give them a career, the band would then play the album’s title track followed by an emphatic, soul-wrenching rendition of “I’m Torn Up,” the album’s opening song.
“I can’t let it down, this hope I feel
Oh this city has made me cry but I still can’t leave her
The streets paved with pain of all my past loves
Please don’t let it die cause I have had enough”
Lyrics from “Half the City”
From something old to something new, St. Paul & the Broken Bones would change things up a bit with a pair of songs, “Wolf in Rabbit Clothes” and “Sea Star” from their most recent album, 2023’s Angels in Science Fiction. Growing up on a steady diet of gospel and soul music like The Stylistics, Sam Cooke and old school Marvin Gaye, it’s easy to see where St. Paul & the Broken Bones draw their influences from, but it’s not often you hear a white man that sings falsetto with the power and control of Janeway. What really sets him apart, however, is the way he’s able to command the entire stage. Working both sides while simultaneously showcasing some fancy footwork (and fancy shoes), Janeway’s presence was mesmerizing.
Singing falsetto from the depths of his soul, so hard in fact, that at times it had him dropping to his knees reaching for the notes, like he did on “Grass is Greener.” After receiving a huge ovation for his efforts, Janeway quietly disappeared back into the shadows. Far from a one-man-show, The Broken Bones took over from there with an extended “Roach Clip” jam that saw each member taking turns soloing in the spotlight and the energetic Amari Ansari running from one side of the room to the other wailing away on his saxophone to the delight of the ultra-attentive Albany crowd.
The powerful horn section was heavily featured once again during “LivWithoutU,” before the dirty, slowed-down groove of “Minotaur” put the audience in a near euphoric trance. Building the energy back up with a pair of tunes from 2018’s Young Sick Camellia, “GotItBad” > “Apollo” would bring the main portion of the show to a close and leave fans hollering for more.
Baby
Is there a right when all is wrong?
Is there a partner when we’re left all alone?
Oh, but I wanna feel something real
Lyrics from “Sanctify”
Returning to the stage now wearing a sparkling sequin cape, Janeway would take his theatrics to the next level. First falling to floor and rolling around like a guitar-less Marty McFly as he crooned the lyrics to “Like a Mighty River,” the crowd who had largely remained seated to this point, finally got up on their feet when Janeway suddenly jumped off the stage to join them.
As fans quickly grabbed their phones to snap obligatory selfies, the connection between the artist and the audience here felt completely authentic. Singing “Sanctify” while climbing all the way up to the soundboard area of The Egg’s backrow, the man who once thought he wanted to be a preacher found his Albany congregation in the palm of his hand. High-fiving as many of them as he could on the way down, the entire room seemed to be smiling ear to ear. Back on stage for the disco-vibed “Last Dance,” the energy in the Egg had reached its boiling point. Already three songs into the encore, fans were given one last treat and one final song from Half The City as “Broken Bones and Pocket Change” would bring the stellar performance to a close. After a well-deserved standing ovation, even the seasoned ushers were left commenting on just how good of a show this was.
After playing in Buffalo the next night, St. Paul & the Broken Bones officially wrapped up their year-long Angels In Science Fiction tour in Charlottesville, VA on March 3rd. After taking a couple weeks off, the band will return to their stomping grounds of Birmingham, Alabama for a hometown throwdown on March 23 before setting off on a lengthy European tour later this summer.
St. Paul & the Broken Bones | February 28,2024 | The Egg | Albany, NY
Setlist: Opening Marvin Jam, Flow With It (You Got Me Feeling Like), Call Me, Half the City, I’m Torn Up, Wolf in Rabbits Clothes > Sea Star, Grass Is Greener, Roach Clip, Livwithoutu, Minotaur, GotItBad > Apollo.
Encore: Like a Mighty River, Sanctify, The Last Dance, Broken Bones & Pocket Change.
Photos of Sugadaisy:
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