A drizzly evening didn’t keep the crowd away from downtown Richmond’s newest mid-size concert venue, Toad’s Place for the Friday evening festivities. Greeted by a friendly (for the most part) staff, a stylish entranceway, huge auditorium with multiple viewing levels, accessible bar and effective sound system, we had little to dull our spirits and were ready for the band to kick out the jams.

For my concert-going dollar, Galactic’s strength comes through their musicianship, the quintet’s interaction and Stanton Moore’s lead-from-the-rear style of raucous drumming. Overlaying hip-hop vocals may open the band up to a wider audience, but it does little to feed their core fan base. My primary contention with the vocals has more to do with the booming nature of the room that left the listener with a mess of vocals, drums and bass and overshadowed the band’s other three players significantly. Likely unintentional and the product of crowd-positioning as much as anything, this opinion wouldn’t prohibit me from attending future performances, even if the band chooses to continue down the road of having a round-robin of guest vocalists flowing over their tunes.
Those familiar with Galactic’s older work will likely remember “Houseman”, their esteemed vocalist of old who has since laid off the touring circuit due to health concerns. The band’s latest release is decidedly more rap-oriented when compared with Houseman’s rough-and-tumble singing style. To avoid coming off with a “it was better before” attitude, I would prefer to focus on the strengths of the show, which included an impressive stage design and some great playing from the band. Standouts include a lengthy organ solo courtesy of the band’s Richard Vogel, whose Hammond B-3 and Nord Electro keyboard setup mixes the top of the market in both old- and new-school setups. Stanton Moore was on top of his game as usual, bringing to the table drumming more in line with Southern rock and roll or a jacked-up marching band then the jazz forerunners he may sight as influences. Rob Mercurio’s bass playing was thunderous, keeping a dance groove going throughout the evening. Ben Ellman’s sax playing was more then solid, at turns playing thick baritone lines, dizzying solos and expressive, effect-driven tenor work. Jeff Raines is a standout guitarist, bringing a vibe somewhere between Boogaloo in line with Greyboy’s Elgin Park (Mike Andrews) and Wes Montgomery, with a smooth, clean tone that focuses distinctly on the jazz and slide chops over the distorted crunch that is noticeably favored by many jam/rock acts.

Known for mixing up the experience, Galactic has brought everything from a second-line horn section to rappers, dancers and live mural artists on the road, and it is most comforting to know that despite their efforts to constantly push the overall experience forward, they can still shred with the best of them, and their group dynamic is as strong as I’ve ever seen.