What could be better than spirited tunes on a springlike Monday evening in Providence with Lake Street Dive? Not much! The band, which formed 21 years ago at the New England Conservatory of Music, kicked off their national tour at a sold-out Providence Performing Arts Center show Monday, May 13.
It’s all good vibes and perfect harmonies with Lake Street Dive, who worked their way up from the streets of Boston, literally, when their funky take on The Jackson’s “I Want You Back,” recorded live on a Brighton, MA street, went viral on YouTube in 2012. I first saw LSD a year later at the (now defunct) Life is Good Festival in Canton, MA. That’s still a place where they belong - Lake Street Dive are the perfect feel-good band, with catchy, but not too edgy lyrics, sweet harmonies, and upbeat songs that are fun to sing along to.
The Providence show was a joyful celebration with lead singer Rachel Price gliding through the band’s hits like “Bad Self Portraits” and “Good Kisser,” along with a few popular covers that show off their R&B/Soul roots, including the previously mentioned “I Want You Back,” and Hall and Oates “Rich Girl.” A concert highlight is the acoustic set, where the band huddles together at center stage for unplugged takes on crowd favorites like “Side Pony” and “Help in on the Way.”
Supporting Price - a killer combo with Bridget Kearney on acoustic bass, drummer Mike Calabrese, keyboardist Akie Bermiss, and guitarist James Cornelison. A few sound issues affected the show; vocals were a bit muddy at times, but overall, the experience was a great one for all who came out on a Monday night in PVD. If you missed the show, the band will be swinging back through New England in late summer, with two August shows at Thompson’s Point in Maine, and September shows in New Haven, CT, and Northampton, MA.
Click here to check out some upcoming shows at the Providence Performing Arts Center.
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