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It’s difficult to write about jam bands, but Pigeons Playing Ping Pong is a really, really enjoyable one. This was their first night of two at Variety Playhouse. It wasn’t quite a sell-out, but that left just enough room for everyone to have space to move to the music.
They’re not stuck retreading the Dead or the Allmans. They’re not techno/trance like the Disco Biscuits, though they definitely share a dancing groove. Maybe they’re like a less-complicated Goose, but they stay truer to a funk vibe and keep an infectious groove, whether caught in a melody or trading guitar solos. While fans may have their favorites, it’s not a competition. PPPP delivers a dynamite live show, this night playing about three hours, one song segueing into the next.
Singer/guitarist Greg Ormont and bassist Ben Carrey are the more extroverted crowd engagers. Lead guitarist Jeremy Schon is often too deep in his strings to “play” to the audience as they do, but it’s not like he ignores the crowd. And you can’t have a name like Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and not have plenty of energy and a sense of humor, most often witnessed in Ormont’s expressions.
An added plus is that they tour with their own light show and technician who mirrored the energy of the music, constantly changing colors, at times bright, dark, or flashing, and even spotlighting performers on the go. Fifteen years in, PPPP show no signs of slowing down. And to that end, the pictures tell a better story.
Set 1:
Set 2:
Encore:
