I first saw these guys perform in the summer of 2017 for Rochester, New York’s summer concert series that I worked at each week for my part-time radio job. I could immediately tell that this was no ordinary jam-band and that they had what it takes to become something big. I had some free time on a cold Thursday night after work in early February, so I bought the $20 ticket and headed to “Anthology” when they made their way back to Rochester. I got there super early to check out the opener and secured a spot about 2-3 rows back from the stage. When they were done and Pigeons started getting ready, the place started getting packed. Once they started, I had already been pushed back 3-4 rows and quickly became annoyed as this was not the norm for most general admission concerts I’ve attended. People are usually respectful of your personal space, as well as the artist themselves. It was like every stereotypical person you hate about jam band concerts showed up and took over the place. A girl showed up 3 songs in, pushed her way up front, stood literally on top of me and kept complaining to her boyfriend that I was stepping on her. A group next to me would not stop yelling at each other the whole show and proceeded to throw ping pong balls at the members while they played; who does that?! I have been to many concerts and have never had to deal with this before. With that being said, I simply scooted into the back where I could enjoy what I came for, the band.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong was every bit spectacular as I remembered and made up for the piss poor people ruining it for the others up front. Their guitarist Jeremy Schon is nothing short of a master of his craft and has that 1970s classic rock, almost Jimmy Page-esque look, and sound. Their frontman, “Scrambled” Greg Ormont, demands control of the stage as he guides the crowd through each song with his never-ending smile and impressive vocal range. These guys never slowed down all night and can only be described as “funkadelic”, I mean these guys were just groovy. In a scene where so many jam bands are up and coming, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong are at the top of my watchlist. They were promoting their newest album, “Pizazz”, but layered the setlist with other jams from past albums as well. They include a solid mix of wah-wah pedal ridden guitar rhythms, funky bass lines, and Jeremy’s classic rock guitar riffs. It bodes well for there style and creates a sound that cannot be overlooked when trying to find that next band to follow. Keep a look out for them as they continue their tour and join the likes of Dead and Company and many others again at this years LOCKN’ music festival.
Concert Rating: 8.4/10
Sample: Psycho Killer, 08/26/17. LOCKN’ Music Fest
Colors In The Void 
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