Thievery Corporation, the eclectic, downtempo, genre-defying conglomerate of musicians, producers, and vocalists based in Washington D.C., returned to New York, NY for a vibrant performance at Terminal 5 on March 9, 2024. They were supported by the Big Apple-based City of the Sun.
Smooth beats woven with passionate vocals and melodic world music is what Thievery Corporation does best, and has been doing for almost thirty years. Producers Rob Garza and Eric Hilton began this project in 1995, and the band is still going strong in 2024. Hilton rarely tours these days, but Garza was on hand to lead the troops. The band consisted of drummer Jeffery James Franca, bassist Dan Africano, guitar/sitar Rob Myers, and percussionist/vocalist Frank Orrall. Singer Laura Vall, rappers Mr. Lif and Racquel Jones, and reggae artist Puma provided stellar vocals. Combining music and vocals formed an electrifying tapestry of inspiring global dance music.
The evening began with a high-energy set from City of the Sun, a band heavily influenced by post-rock, gypsy jazz, flamenco, and indie rock. Their members comprised guitarist John Pita, guitarist Avi Snow, and percussionist Zach Para. This band delivered jam-friendly instrumental sounds that complimented Thievery Corporation quite well. Pita displayed his face-melting guitar skills while engaging with the crowd multiple times during their set.
The crowd was warmed up and ready, and finally, Thievery Corporation emerged from the green room. This was not without a few minutes of instrumentals sans the musicians, which only fired up the crowd even more. The first two songs showcased the instrumental powerhouse of this band: "A Warning Dub" and "Facing East." Myers was grinning early as he unleashed the sweet sounds of the sitar during "Facing East."
Vall provided vocals for perhaps the most quintessential Thievery song, "Lebanese Blonde." This track was from their 2000 release The Mirror Conspiracy. Jones hopped into the mix next to provide vocals for the reggae meets hip hop-fueled banger, "Originality," from Versions. The reggae vibes continued as Puma rotated into the fun with "Amerimacka."
Rapper Mr. Lif was up next, and provided vocals for "Culture of Fear," from Thievery's 2011 release of the same name. The percussive heavy, instrumental "Illumination" followed, and gave drummer Franca and percussionist Orrall a moment to shine. Jones was back for the next tune, "Letter to the Editor," and proceeded by "Encounter in Bahia" featuring Mr. Lif.
Puma was back on the stage with "Vampires" from the 2008 release Radio Retaliation. Orrall took on singing duties for the next tune, "Heart is a Lonely Hunter," standing in for David Byrne, who originally recorded this track with Thievery for the 2005 release Cosmic Game. Orrall lit up the stage with an illuminated poy that he whipped around in circles above his head to close out this fun tune.
"Air Batucada", another delicious, old-school, chill, instrumental tune from the Mirror Conspiracy, reminded the fans this band owns the downtempo space. This was accompanied by the "Sleeper Car Intro," a tune from their breakthrough first album, Sounds from the Theivery Hi-Fi. Three songs were mashed up next, starting with "Meu Nego" featuring vocals from Vall. This led into "Roadblock" with Jones and "Richest Man" with Puma. The mashup was book-ended with Vall, as she contributed to "Para Sempre."
The newer, dubstep-inspired "San San Rock" featured a charged Jones. This leads into the melodic "Satyam Shivam" with Vall. A fired-up Mr. Lif kicked the venue into high gear with the emotional "Fight to Survive" from the 2017 album, Temple of I & I. The crowd was energized and in lockstep, as his powerful voice melded with the high-octane hip-hop sounds.
The set ended on a very fiery note as Puma and Jones joined the charged Mr. Lif for "Warning Shots." The band stepped off stage, and quickly returned to a loud applause. They encored with "Sweet Tides," as Vall emanated her sweet vocals for the last time.
Thievery Corporation put on an incredible show that inspired plenty of dancing. They are currently on tour, and up next at the iconic Toad's Place in New Haven, CT on March 13, 2024. Tickets are available via this link. Head on over to their tour page for more dates.
Check out more photos from Thievery Corporation and City of the Sun!
Setlist: A Warning Dub, Facing East, Lebanese Blonde, Originality, Amerimacka, Culture of Fear, Illumination, Letter to the Editor, Encounter in Bahia, Vampires, Heart is a Hunter, Air Batucada, Sleeper Car Intro > Meu Nego > Roadblock > Richest Man > Para Sempre, San San Rock, Satyam Shivam, Fight to Survive, Warning Shots
Encore: Sweet Tides
