With Flying Object, Dirty Blanket and the infamous Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad at the helm on New Years Eve, you already know it’s going to be a different kind of party in Rochester. Giant Panda has been a Rochester reggae staple for over two decades, with an impact on the Rochester music scene that is undeniable.
Before the show, the Green Room was filled with laughter, cheers, hugs and handshakes for new acquaintances. You had wives and friends embracing as if they hadn’t seen each other in years. The room was filled with love, and that feeling radiated through the entirety of Anthology. It was infectious and no one was immune.
The weather this night decided to shift and dump inches of snow in a short amount of time. As doors opened, the venue had a few small groups having drinks and talking amongst each other. By the time Flying Object walked on the stage, you couldn’t walk down the main floor without dodging friends in the middle of conversations, as Rochester was not deterred by the weather.
On the stage and making up Flying Object was Matthew O’Brian on bass and vocals, Christopher O’Brian on drums and vocals, Mike Martinez on guitar as well as Max Flansburg ripping on the second guitar and last, but certainly not least, Elliot Schwartzman on the keyboard. In the crowd, you could see friends locked in each others’ arms with nothing but smiles everywhere you looked. The music came mellow and feel-good and that love from the back room exploded outward and everyone felt it, the dancing ensued.
A quick set break and some Dirty Blanket took the stage. Max Flansburg again took the guitar and vocals, with Kevin O’Leary on the other guitar and mic, Richie Colf on the mandolin, Joel Fedkiw strumming the banjo, Benny Blue on the bass and vocals with Chris Hollywood English kicking it on the drums. Chris is in many musical organizations, such as Funknut, who will be playing a show at Three Heads Brewery on the 17th of this month, will be touring with Grateful Shred starting January 28, and is doing a show on the 19th for the Eastman School of Music. With Flying Object starting the groove, Dirty Blanket had the vibe check in full effect and did not disappoint.
The time had come, the DJ’s music started a decrescendo and Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad took the stage, and they truly are a squad; Dylan Savage on guitar and vocals, James Searl on bass and vocals, Christopher O’Brian on drums and vocals, Tony Gallicchio on the organ and clavinet, Lucius Snowden on the keys and samples and a brass section of Drew Martin on sax and Elliot Mangini on trombone. As Christopher took the stage and sat at the drum kit, two other familiar faces took the stage with Giant Panda, Mike Martinez and Matthew O’Brian, who played with Flying Object. It was at this point where you start seeing familiar faces on the stage and the reality set in, this was more of a symphony meets best friends’ reunion. You had people playing in multiple groups that had been playing together for all periods of life, some since high school, and it was felt in the melodies.
This was the return of Matthew O’Brian to the stage with Giant Panda and in that big fashion, Giant Panda played two of their songs from their first album Slow Down, “Buffalo” and “Creation”, the first time these songs have been played on stage since 2009. The crowd responded in kind, and there was not an inch to spare. Shoulder to shoulder and person to person, the crowd moved as one, some groups singing lyrics to the songs they have loved for so long and had braved the falling snow to hear live again and some just dancing their hearts out as the clock struck midnight. 2026 had arrived, and not a single thing inside Anthology changed.
Song after song captured a diverse crowd with smiles and cheer, stemming from the possibilities of a new year? More likely from the enthusiastic performance that played on and left no one wondering why they were there, for the feeling. As the clock ticked on, the night of music came to a close, but what occurred that night was nothing short of amazing, so much love and community was encapsulated into one room. It’s not something you can fake, it is not to be reproduced under most conditions, but it was unique and intrinsic to the Giant Panda culture that has been built over the past two decades.
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