After all, ain't no party like a Monday night party.
With last fall's release of TigerFace still fresh in the minds of fans and band members, the energy was sky-high in the Beachland's cozy bar. The concise stage was arranged with Benevento off to the right, a massive and realistic tiger face hung on the side of his piano.
Throughout the evening, the lights were surprisingly excellent, given the tight parameters onstage. The song selection culled tunes mostly from the latest album, but Benevento also felt free to draw on past recordings. The crowd ate it all up and there was plenty of dancing among the audience.
Covers included The Knife's "Heartbeats" (Wow! Spectacular!), as well as Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets" (complete with Elton-style shades!). And everyone who caught the tease early in the night of The Bangle's "Walk Like an Egyptian" got a thrill out of that.
Set closer "Limbs of a Pine," with Kalmia Traver's vocals pumped through the speakers, was absolutely unreal. Benevento, bassist Dave Dreiwitz and drummer Andy Borger took turns donning the giant tiger face and rocking out full force to the uber-catchy song.
Local jam band Yosemight opened the show. Their set was fantastic, setting the mood just right for Benevento's entrance. Their approach to music revolves around groovy, funk-laden throwbacks to lazy Saturday afternoons spent strumming your guitar.
