Galactic, 4/20/12

Galactic | Minglewood Hall
Memphis, TN | April 20, 2012

It had been two years since Galactic had played Memphis, so I was pretty excited when the show was announced. They always put on a good show, and while it took me a while to get on their bandwagon, I’m now a fan.

Since Houseman and the band split, Galactic has toured with a variety of MCs and vocalists. This time, Corey Henry (Living Colour) was on the bill, as he has been for some time. Not having heard them with him, I really didn’t know what to expect.

All said and done, I really could have done without him. The last few shows I’ve seen with a vocalist, the band has really stayed true to what a Galactic show is supposed to be. This time, though, Glover seemed to dominate the proceedings…almost as if the band was backing him up, rather than how it should be – the other way around.

My favorite moments of the night are easy to point out – any time Glover wasn’t on stage. That’s not a knock on Corey Glover – he’s a good singer. I just would have preferred my Galactic sans-vocalist. The one moment that I did enjoy with Glover was when the band covered “Cult Of Personality.” It was pretty awesome.

Set: Cineramascope, Hey Na Na*, Out In the Street*, I Don’t Know What…Funky*, Karate, Bongo Joe, Total Destruction of Your Mind*, Bittersweet*, Cult of Personality*, Heart of Steel*, GoGo, Boe Money, Shit. Damn. Motherfucker*, You Don’t Know*, How Many More Times *

Encore: Ash Wednesday Sunrise, Goin’ Down *

Gear used: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-70 f/2.8, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS