Baltimore jam-funk quartet Pigeons Playing Ping Pong returned to Legend Valley in Thornville, OH this weekend for their annual music festival, Domefest. Since its inception, Domfest has been all about magical collaborations, and with bands like Pigeons, Twiddle, TAUK Moore (TAUK ft. Kanika Moore), The Magic Beans, Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers and more on the lineup, this year’s edition was never in doubt of producing some of that classic Dome-magic.

Kicking off the festivities on Thursday night with a pre-party at Columbus, OH establishment Skully’s Music-Diner, Pigeons started not with a “Bang!” but with a “Hell Yeah!,” playing a one-song second set, featuring a 70-minute version of the relatively new original, “Hell Yeah.”

Domefest then properly began at Legend Valley on Friday afternoon, featuring TAUK Moore, Barefuzz, Chalk Dinosaur, Gunk, and Pigeons’ first three of five sets across the weekend. The band’s first set contained a rousing cover debut of Modest Mouse’s “Float On,” while the second set featured a brand new original, the funky and dark “Underworld.”

The final Pigeons set of the evening was a special "Under Cover” set containing a wide-ranging mix of cover songs and mashups that included the X-Files theme song, Radiohead’s “The National Anthem” sung by drummer Alex Petropulos, a debut mashup of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” and Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” a mashup of Talking Heads’ “Making Flippy Floppy” and No Doubt’s “Hella Good,” and a Phish mashup ("Down with Disease" and "Run Like An Antelope"), among others. The bird band also welcomed fellow domies to jam throughout the night, including Alric Carter of TAUK on originals “Overtime” and “Beneath The Surface,” as well as the aforementioned “Hella Floppy,” plus Matt Jalbert of TAUK and vocalist Kanika Moore on a show-stopping rendition of Led Zeppelin's “Black Dog.”

Saturday’s lineup brought even more heavy hitters with the return of Twiddle, who last played the festival in 2014, plus The Magic Beans, Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, The North 41, crypto WAVE radio, and Domefest newcomers Houseplant.

The final night of Pigeons saw another original debut, the bouncy and uplifting “Right Track,” plus  sit-ins from Twiddle's Ryan Dempsey on “Indiglo,” Adrian Tramontano (Twiddle) for the band’s first take on Incubus’ “Summer Romance (Anti-Gravity Love Song)” sandwiched between “F.U.”, plus the ever-present Casey Russell of The Magic Beans on “Henrietta,” all capped by one of the most special “The Domefest All-Stars” sets to date.

This year’s collaborative All-Stars set saw combinations of musicians from nearly every band on the lineup, including members of Pigeons, Twiddle, The Magic Beans, The North 41, Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, BareFuzz, crypto WAVE radio and Chalk Dinosaur. The various “super groups” ran through jam-heavy renditions by Talking Heads, Sublime, Michael Jackson, TLC, David Bowie, and Sly and the Family Stone, capping off the weekend on the highest of notes.

Domefest continued the band’s festival run which will include plays at Maryland’s DelFest, Virginia's Rooster Walk, New Hampshire's Northlands, and back in Ohio for Resonance Festival - just announced today. Next they will run down the East Coast for their Summer Tour featuring their debut at Pelham, TN’s famous The Caverns. They finish up the summer at Crystal Bay Casino’s inaugural Gambler’s Run Music Festival, Alaska's Salmonfest, Pennsylvania’s Elements Music Festival, and Richmond’s JamPacked. They are also slated to appear at Live Oak, FL’s annual Suwannee Hulaween celebration in October.

Tickets for the band’s Summer Tour are available at pigeonsplayingpingpong.com.

SETLISTS:

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong | Domefest Pre-Party Setlist:

May 18, 2023 - Skully’s Music Diner - Columbus, OH

I: French Cafe > Too Long, Hit The Ground Runnin’ > Whirled, Live Life > Upfunk, J-Town* > Zydeko > Somewhere Over The Rainbow^ > Zydeko

II: Hell Yeah

E: Kiwi > Yo Soy Fiesta

Notes:

One song second set (~70min)

* Unfinished

^ Instrumental

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong | Domefest Night 1 Setlist:

May 19, 2023 - Domefest - Thornville, OH

I: Time To Ride, Fortress > Wireless > Float On* > Wireless^ > Offshoot, Calm Before The Storm > Pop Off, Fun In Funk

II: Overtime+, Melting Lights > Underworld~, Sail On, Beneath The Surface+, Poseidon > Let The Boogie Out > Poseidon%

III: X-Files > Seven Dreams*$ > Down With Antelope& > The National Anthem > Magic Carpet Ride > Hella Floppy+", While My Guitar Gently Weeps[ > Black Dog= > Slipknot{ > Down With Disease{

E: Dome People\ > Schwanthem

Notes:

Third set "Under Cover"

* First time played

^ Unfinished

+ w/ Alric Carter (TAUK) on keys

~ Original debut

% w/ "I need a dome to return to" lyrics

$ Seven Nation Army x Sweet Dreams mashup w/ Layla tease; w/ "dome" and crossover lyrics

& Down With Disease x Run Like An Antelope mashup; w/ "bob like a pigeon out of control" lyrics

" Hella Good x Making Flippy Floppy mashup; First time mashed; Making Flippy Floppy last time played 11/2/19

[ w/ Babe I'm Gonna Leave You and 25 or 6 to 4 teases

= w/ Matt Jalbert (TAUK) on guitar and Kanika Moore on vocals

{ Ending only

\ Last time played 5/19/22

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong | Domefest Night 2 Setlist:

May 20, 2023 - Domefest - Thornville, OH

I: Porcupine*, Indiglo^, Bad For You, Right Track+, Water, Julia > Beanstalk > Julia

II: Feelin' Fine > F.U.~ > Summer Romance (Anti-Gravity Love Song)~$ > F.U.~, Alright Tonight > Henrietta%, Horizon*

E: Donkey Hotel

Notes:

* w/ Intro jam

^ w/ Ryan Dempsey (Twiddle) on keys

+ Original debut

~ w/ Adrian Tramontano (Twiddle) on percussion

$ First time played

% w/ Casey Russell (The Magic Beans) on keys

The Domefest All-Stars | Setlist:

May 20, 2023 - Domefest - Thornville, OH

I: Girlfriend Is Better [1], Smoke Two Joints [1], Billie Jean [2], Waterfalls [3], Let's Dance [4], Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) [5]

Notes:

[1] feat. members of Twiddle, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Magic Beans and crypto WAVE radio

[2] feat. members of Twiddle, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, The North 41, Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers, Magic Beans and BareFuzz

[3] feat. members of Twiddle, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers and Magic Beans

[4] feat. members of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Magic Beans, The North 41, crypto WAVE radio and Mihali (solo band)

[5] feat. members of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Twiddle, Magic Beans, The North 41, crypto WAVE radio, Joe Herrtler and the Rainbow Seekers, Chalk Dinosaur and The Werks