Reviewed by Jeffrey B. Remz
Lake Street Dive keyboardist Akie Bermiss told the crowd something to the effect, "Rachael left...I'm not done yet" after the band "finished" the second of two nights with one of their signature songs "Good Kisser." Rachael, of course, was their most excellent lead singer Rachael Price.
Bermiss apparently was not joking, and he ultimately spoke for the entire ensemble. With that, Price and company came back on stage for the real final song, a cover of "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," the Bill Medley/Jennifer Warnes hit.
You can't argue with that choice because that pretty much summed up the concert from Lake Street Dive in the best night of music witnessed from the band.
Lake Street Dive, playing not far away from where the band first formed at New England Conservatory of Music, focused on their new, self-released disc, "Good Together," which set the stage for what was to come and almost de rigueur for LSD. That would mean songs incorporating soul, funk, jazz, pop and more where the love of and engagement with the music was obvious.
LSD also knew a thing or two about creating a set list. Over the course of 100 minutes, there were no slow moments making you want them to get to the next song. There were any number of standout cuts including "Party on the Roof" and "Call Off Your Dogs."
A three-song acoustic set in the middle of the show with a great cover of The Jackson's "I Want You Back" found the band huddled around a mic and "Stop Your Crying" worked exceedingly well. So did their take on Hall & Oates' classic "Rich Girl."
Lake Street Dive somehow has a knack for picking covers that work for them. Bermiss continued his Shania Twain fix with a very soulful reading of Shania Twain's hit "You're Still the One," making one think that Shania would have/should have been quite happy with the interpretation.
The band kept it fresh by later going in a different musical direction during the encore starting with a joyous take of The Band's "Ophelia."
Price was the focal point of Lake Street Dive, more so on this night with a glittery silver full-length dress that made it seem like she was ready for a New Year's Eve shindig. Price's singing was a thing of a beauty as usual. She's capable of belting it out and letting loose, but she also toned it down a bunch of notches for the introspective "Twenty-Five," about looking back at her former self and boyfriends. The joy she held for the music was obvious.
LSD has never been a band of Price and her backing mates. Every member played a significant role. That would include Bermiss, (mainly) upright bassist Bridget Kearney, guitarist James Cornelison and drummer Mike Calabrese.
Kearney hauled her upright to center stage to face off on "I Want You Back." Her playing was simply maniacal.
Calabrese stepped out behind his drum kit to take lead vocals on "Ophelia" with Price by his side. He did not shrink in her shadow prior to finishing the song behind his drums.
The concert – the second of two nights in Beantown – also was far more than just Lake Street Band. Once again, LSD smartly employed the three-piece horn section of The HunterTones. Sax man Dan White trombonist Chris Ott and trumpeter Jon Lampley all were given ample opportunities to shine throughout the show with each having solos, enlivening the festivities with their spirit, gesticulatioins and truly being inimical to what made the show so outstanding.
As Calabrese said towards the end of the regular set, "No show like a Boston show." It sure seemed like a homecoming could result in everyone having the time of their lives – at least on this night.
Theo Katzman set the stage for LSD with a 45-minute like-minded set. He played solo on electric guitar and keyboards. He had a feel good sound about him, even, as he said, the songs tended to be downers about relationships. But with a chirpy personality, he kept the show moving.
Katzman, who later would come to end Lake Street Dive's regular set with the ultra lively "Best Kisser," went falsetto more than a few times too many. Less would have way been more in his case.