Galactic returned to the jam-friendly Brooklyn Bowl on January 31, 2025, for round three of their four-night stand at the Brooklyn, NY, venue. The band was in the middle of a Northeast run that included dates in Philadelphia and Washington D.C. They were certainly in the groove this night and brought a high-energy set of funk-jazz originals and covers. The emerging Brooklyn, NY-based artist Honey Marmalade provided their support.
The evening began with Honey Marmalade, who dispensed a fresh take on blues, rock, indie, and soul. Singer Olivia Klein supplied emotionally charged Janis Joplin-like vocals and commanded an incredible stage presence. Her band was no slouch, delivering intricate jams decorated with saxophone and keys. They even covered Janis Joplin's "Half Moon" like a boss. Galactic singer Jelly Joseph gave them a nice shout-out during their set.
The New Orleans, LA, septet Galactic spread the stage for their high-energy set. The funk began with "Clap Your Hands," as Joseph got the crowd going with her inspired vocals. New tune "Lady Liberty" followed. Another New Orleans-influenced song, "Hey Na Na," brought more back and forth with the audience.
Jelly took a break, and the band leaned into some tasty funk during "Cineramascope," from their album Ya-Kay-May. Another new tune "People" hopped into the funk mix, along with Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home." Vintage instrumental tune "Go Go," from their 1996 release Coolin' Off, brought a vibrant bass line that crushed.
Professor Longhair's "Go to the Mardi Gras" preceded a guest sit-in by saxophonist Lucas Ellman, who joined the party for Roberta Flack's "Compared to What." This addition elevated the horn section, along with band members Ben Ellman on saxophone and Eric Gordon on trumpet. The funk went deep during Sandie Shaw's "Puppet on a String," before flowing into "How Many More Times" by Led Zeppelin. Drummer Stanton Moore had a nice solo near the end of this classic '70s tune.
The music went instrumental for a few tunes, namely "Bakers Dozen" and the quintessential "Crazyhorse Mongoose." Jelly returned to close out the set with "Where I Belong," "Dollie Diva," and "FYA." The band was firing on all cylinders, did not step off stage for an encore, and instead rolled into "Yes We Can Can" by Lee Dorsey to end this incredibly fun night of music.
Galactic is up next on Jam Cruise, and then at their venue, Tipitina's, on Feb 22, 2025. Head over to this link for details, and their tour page for dates in your region. The Brooklyn Bowl features the funk and alt-pop Ripe next Thursday, February 13, 2025. Visit this link for information, as well as this link for the current schedule at the Williamsburg venue.
Check out more photos from Honey Marmalade and Galactic!
Date: January 31, 2025
Venue: Brooklyn Bowl
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Set-List: Clap Your Hands, Lady Liberty, Hey Na Na, Cineramascope, People, Bring It On Home1, Go Go, Go to the Mardi Gras2, Compared to What34, Puppet on Your String5, How Many More Times6, Bakers Dozen, Crazyhorse Mongoose, Where I Belong, Dollie Diva, FYA, Yes We Can Can7
Notes:
1. Sam Cooke
2. Professor Longhair
3. Lucas Ellman sat in on saxophone
4. Roberta Flack
5. Sandie Shaw
6. Led Zeppelin
7. Lee Dorsey
