Galactic @ Tipitina’s Uptown – 3/7/2011 (Free SBD Download)

Galactic. Photo by David E. Lee

Note: Yes, Galactic has officially taken over this site. They are the Artist of the Month after all. To download the Lundi Gras show, click here

Galactic. New Orleans. Lundi Gras. I would like to preface this review with the fact that I have only made it completely through Galactic’s Lundi Gras show once – and that my 2011 effort was not a full one, with Lundi Gras and Fat Tuesday separated by a much-needed three hour nap. Usually with the Monday night show, the full day’s partying plus an 8 hour marathon of music means that some people just can’t make it through the whole evening. So if you do get shut out (and can wait until the wee hours of the evening), you usually can stroll up after 3 and buy a ticket at the door.

The mystic of Mardi Gras runs strong around the Galactic experience, take for example the fact that I bought and listened to a NOLA funk compilation featuring Chuck Carbo’s “Can I Be Your Squeeze” just hours before heading down to Tip’s – and lo and behold, at the exact moment I walk in to the full-on 4:30 a.m. freak out at Tip’s the next morning – they are covering the song. Coincidence? Probably. But coincidence is a big part of the magic that surrounds the whole Mardi Gras experience, and that’s what makes it all so special. After finding my spot on the floor, Robert Walter made his way to the stage for a funky B3 infused “Live Wire”. Corey Henry then proceeded to crush Juvenile’s verses on “From The Corner To The Block” (as well as having the entire crowd gettin’ low “Shout” style) and the band took their last break before the final push into the morning.

The third set was simply perfect. “Doublewide > Whole Lotta Love” to start things off, a big “Ho Na Nae” with Papa Mali, Trixie Slaughter (Rebirth) and Ben Jaffe from Preservation Hall Brass Band (it’s not everyday that you get to watch a Tuba player and Rob Mercurio slam through a bass-off at 6:00 in the morning) and then, in perfect form, finished the evening with a sauntering “Quiet Please” before sending us out into the day light hours. I went home and woke up a friend on the couch for a bike ride equipped with Bloody’s, Screwdrivers – and finally Zulu. By 9:00 in the morning, the day was already one of the best of the year. Much thanks to the Tipitina’s crew, the Galactic folks, and everyone involved that makes the Lundi Gras thing happen year after year. I highly recommend it.

Oh yeah, I heard Orgone wasn’t bad at all.

Also, the band has approved the circulation of a crisp SBD rip by one of our new friends, John-Ryan Hevron (a NOLA native currently stationed in Brooklyn, NY), for download here. Please enjoy the recording and support live music!

Galactic
2011/03/07
Tipitina’s Uptown, New Orleans LA

I: Santa Cruz, Gemini Rising, Boom Boom*, You Don’t Know*, You Can’t Fly If You Are Too High*, Gossip*, Heart Of Steel*, Cineramascope, Keep’ Steppin, 8 Days On The Road, Keep The Dream Alive^, La Di Da Di, Big Chief**

II: Boe Money, Cabbage Alley***, No More Okey Doke***, Manic Depression, Tell Me What’s On Your Mind****, Break In The Road****, 2 Clowns > Doo Rag > 2 Clowns, Blackbird Special, Tiger Roll > Bounce Baby, Can I Be Your Squeeze, Live Wire*****, From The Corner To The Block

III: Doublewide > Whole Lotta Love, Tecknochek Collison, Ho Na Nae******, Charlie Dozen*******, Quiet Please*******

* -w/ Cyril Neville
** -w/ Irvin Mayfield
*** -w/ Ivan Neville
**** -w/ members of Orgone
***** -w/ Robert Walter
****** – w/ Papa Mali, Trixie Slaughter, and Ben Jaffe
******* -w/ Papa Mali
^ – w/ Nicholas Ellman