Vulfpeck kicked off their West Coast “Greek Week” with a performance at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA this past Saturday. In typical eccentric fashion, marketing leader and band member Jack Stratton introduced the Vulfpeck set in his signature red Adidas soccer outfit as depicted on the cover of Vulfpeck’s album The Beautiful Game (2016).
The night’s performance starred: Jack Stratton and Theo Katzman both on nearly all of the instruments, Joe Dart on bass, Woody Goss on keyboards, Cory Wong on electronic organ, Joey Dosik on saxophone and backup vocals, and Antwaun Stanley on vocals. The band did an incredible twenty-two song set in which band members frequently switched instruments between and even during songs, giving the movement on stage a dynamic, danceable fluidity reminiscent of a game of musical chairs.
After the band introed with “Tee Time,” it jumped right into an upbeat and jovial rendition of “Animal Spirits,” one which evoked the tune and perkiness of an elementary school child’s song. Like a classroom, the band members frequently encouraged audience sing-along participation and even organized the audience in an attempt to produce a three-part harmony.
Vulfpeck gave a unique performance tethered to their acute awareness of Berkeley’s location in the Bay Area and near Silicon Valley – an awareness that manifested itself through the band’s decision to play “Daddy, He Got a Tesla.” They also jokingly stated their plans to take Elon Musk’s hyperloop in a 12-minute trek from San Francisco to their next show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.
Antwaun Stanley’s vocals delivered a sound near identical to his recorded sound – a true indicator of authentic vocal talent. His passionate energy infected the other musicians with an almost manic vigor that the audience could not get enough of, as made apparent by the countless “OMYGOD’s” and “THEY’RE TOO GOOD’s.”
“Wait for the Moment” marked the halfway point of the set, upon which Jack Stratton in his master of ceremonies candor said, “That concludes the acoustic portion of the night. EDM only from here on out!! We’re gonna unlock the potential of the night from here on out! Tony Robbins results and T.J. Maxx prices! But, I haven’t put in the work… I haven’t put in the data… introducing Dr. Dean Ornish!” Confused murmurs incited when a middle-aged white man dressed in an out-of-place suit walked on stage to accept the microphone from Stratton. In a TED Talk-like manner, Dr. Ornish then proceeded to deliver a speech on the benefits of a plant-based diet for personal and environmental health.
At this point in the show, the audience was both thoroughly confused and mildly entertained. With his final words of advice, “Eat well. Move more. Stress less. Love more,” Dr. Ornish departed the stage.
In the second half of the show, Vulfpeck played several classics, some of which include: “Back Pocket,” “Christmas in L.A.” and “Dean Town” to close out the setlist. But the audience knew Vulfpeck couldn’t say goodbye without doing an encore. They took the stage for the last time to play what they called their “Wedding Set,” which featured a myriad of their own tracks, “The Speedwalker,” “It Gets Funkier,” and “Chromatic Walk,” as well as a collection of classics like The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back,” The Four Seasons’ “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” and Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September.” You could not have asked for a more shenanigan-filled Vulfpeck show with their usual comedic banter, passionate instrumental riffs, and some good ol’ pro-vegetarian rhetoric.
Article by Sophia Leswing
Photo “101017-Vulfpeck-Emos-002” by Do512.com is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
