Galactic
Gypsy Tea Room, Dallas, TX
October 30, 2002

review by: Alexander Washburn
Date: 10/31/02

There is a moment at every live event when the consumer takes stock and wonders whether if it was worth it. Is it worth the price of a ticket? Worth feeling tired and drained the next day? Worth the hangover or the cost of a babysitter?

I realized Galactic live at the Gypsy Tea Room in Dallas was worth it the minute Robert Mercurio dropped a heavy bass line introducing the bands first song. Ben Ellman had not even blown a note into his sax, Richard Vogel was still cracking his knuckles before sitting behind his keyboard and Scott Raines was still tuning his guitar. Drummer Stanton Moore was busy rolling up his pant leg before settling into the role as the best drummer on the face of the planet. That being said, within seven seconds of Mercurio's bass line, the band had morphed from setting up into a well-oiled machine that took the packed audience on a musical journey through different styles and genres.

It's hard to know where a Galactic song ends or begins. There are no "Hello Dallas'" or "This is the first song off our new album" announcements made by the six-man group. They play a free flowing style that highlight their individual talents and well as showing how mature they've become as a group and as musicians. They push each other to come up with more creative and unique ways to make the sound funky and to keep the crowd moving. It's no surprise that Galactic has become a favorite of the Phish set. With no more constant touring by the Vermont foursome, Galactic's jam band mix of funk, blues, and rock have won over the hearts of the Phish-heads, at least in Dallas.

The crowd at the Gypsy Tea Room were treated to Galactic favorites like 'Hamp's Hump," "Blue Pepper" and "Vilified," which features the booming vocals of the House Man, Theryl de Clouet. The group also played some well-timed covers, including Led Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love" with Ellman on harmonica, and the great Shuggie Otis song, "Ice Cold Daydream" where the House Man's vocals took the song to new heights.

This was Galactic's first show on their fall tour. If they're this good on their first outing, I can dream to see them next week, in two weeks or in a month. Galactic live features no frills music and at $16 bucks, one of the best investments one can make in this wintry economic climate. The only drawback was that I never got the chance to chat up the cute girl in the white shirt and blue jeans dancing next to me during the second set. Let's just hope she reads 2Walls.com…