Spafford returned to New York City’s Brooklyn Bowl last weekend for a “holiday” performance on April 20 with a show full of cover songs and some exquisitely jammed out originals. This three-set show marked the end of a short run of shows in the Northeast for the band, who are back in action after a scary accident on tour last month in Ohio. Spafford certainly showed no signs of being worse for the wear and made it an enjoyable 4/20 for all involved.
A late arriving crowd to the Bowl walked into a soundtrack mix of classic rock hits on the PA atop a bed of pin strikes and gutter balls. Pre-show music included a nice live version of “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” as a nod to the recently departed Dickey Betts. Spafford then took the stage and started things off with the appropriately titled “I Can’t Find My Vape,” a newer, funky instrumental tune in the vein of Herbie Hancock.
The crux of the first set, however, was the next two songs, starting with a near 30-minute “Comfortable.” The song started out exactly as such, with a nice comfortable groove to it, before an intense guitar solo from Brain Moss ushered in another loose but explorative jam with strong psychedelic undertones. Certainly no strangers to extended jamming, the band showed off their musical prowess early and took the sound down to near ambient levels before building it back up to a triumphant finish.
This was followed up “The Postman,” another original but a much more composition-based song off their 2018 release For Amusement Only. The now firmly entrenched keyboardist Corey Schechtman shined on all of them – piano, synthesizer, and organ – as Spafford doled out some more legitimate funk to the Brooklyn Bowl audience through a thick, oozing jam that slowly escalated in pace. The opening set then came to a close with an old school original, the reggae-tinged “Diana” that culminated with another provocative Moss guitar solo.
Spafford then let all the covers out in the second set and wasted no time in doing so. Drummer Nick Tkachyk began things with a simple, lone, up tempo drum beat and the band then immediately launched into their take of Stone Temple Pilots’ “Plush.” With its faster pace and underlying organ fills, it’s certainly a more joyous take on the dour alt rock classic. True to their nature, Spafford stretched out the ending and molded it into a massive jam that maintained upbeat and completely danceable. This eventually led to bassist Jordan Fairless taking over the mic to lead the way on a take of Porno for Pyros’ “Pets,” another regular in the Stafford stable of cover songs.
Another jam that smoothly shifted from mellow to breakneck then served as the springboard for a leap into another signature cover song, Tears For Fears’ “Mad World.” Schechtman on piano alongside some furious rhythm guitar from Moss served as the fuel for yet another ebullient interpretation of a glum pop hit from yesteryear. Spafford then shifted from musical influences to modern day and segued right into a newer cover song they’ve made their own, Demi Lovato’s “Anyone.” Moss did the heartfelt, introspective lyrics about prayer justice all while the song never lost its peppy undercarriage. To close out the second set at Brooklyn Bowl, Spafford once again delved into the alternative music playbook with a pair of Green Day covers. Fairless returned to lead vocals for their their techno-like cover of “Brain Stew” which was parlayed right into a jazzed up take on “Jaded,” both making their live Spafford debut.
The third set began with a not-so-subtle nod to the holiday at end with a quote from the movie Reefer Madness played over the PA and Spafford followed in tow with an entertaining cover of Sublime’s “Smoke Two Joints,” a song they first debuted last year on 4/20. It paid homage to the original at first and then turned into a sprawling, exploratory jam that reached several veritable peaks before rounding back into form.
With the holiday formalities out of the way, the third set was then dominated by the other extended jam of the evening, a 30-minute “Dirtbag” that served as testament to the band’s musical dexterity. Starting with a rollicking funk jam, it soon devolved into total silence before being resuscitated by some triumphant guitar fills from Moss. The multi-textured song also has elements of progressive rock, acid jazz and, of course, jam band, really allowing band the show off their full skill set.
Spafford then closed out another successful appearance at Brooklyn Bowl with one last flurry of cover songs, starting with Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell.” It’s not quite as hectic as The Disco Biscuits’ take on it, but thanks to some looping synthesizer sounds produced by Schechtman and more metronome-like precision from Tkachyk on drums, it eventually produced an incredibly lively jam that funneled right into “Cantaloupe Island,” some actual Herbie Hancock. After some heartfelt thanks from Moss, Spafford paid one last respect to the date and sent folks on their way with an honest cover of Tom Petty’s “You Don’t Know How It Feels” and its joint smoking instructions.
As a reminder, Spafford has several upcoming shows in New York including one on June 12 at Rochester’s Water Street Music Hall. Three days later, Spafford is set to play Colony in Woodstock and then the band wraps up their time in NY (for now) with a stop on Long Island at The Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett on June 17. Tickets for all Summer Tour dates are on sale at spafford.net.
Spafford Brooklyn Bowl – New York, NY 4/20/24
Set 1: Can’t Find My Vape, Comfortable > The Postman, Diana
Set 2: Plush > Pets->Mad World->Anyone, Brain Stew->Jaded
Set 3: Smoke Two Joints > Dirtbath, Run Like Hell->Cantaloupe Island
E: You Don’t Know How It Feels
All photos by Perri Sage Photography Perrisage.com
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