Before the Pearl Street Nightclub doors opened at 7:30 p.m., concert-goers huddled under awnings for shelter from the rain. The suboptimal weather conditions did nothing to hamper the excitement. In the next hour before the live performance began, there were plenty of people crowding into the intimate venue and singing along to pre-show music.
The opening act, a Boston based pop-fusion band called Couch, opened the night with infectious energy and a soulful-pop twist on School House Rock’s “Conjunction Junction.”
Lead singer Tema Siegel told the audience, “You’re in for a treat” before yielding the stage to the headliner.
Sammy Rae & The Friends filled the venue with funky and fun vibes that left the crowd stomping and screaming. The band seemed to have the time of their lives, and the audience had no choice but to match that energy. Smooth saxophone, running high notes and rocking drums courtesy of C-bass are hallmarks of a Sammy Rae & The Friends show.
“Denim Jacket,” a crowd favorite, ended with half a dozen denim jackets finding their way onto the stage with Sammy Rae. The music was a fusion of pop, rock, jazz and soul with just the right variation of tempo and energy.
“Northampton feels like a home away from home,” said Sammy Rae, remarking on how her and the Friends’ last performance before lockdown began in 2020 was right here.
Sammy Rae & the Friends debuted their new song “Follow Me Like the Moon,” the title song of the band’s next tour in 2022. It was jazzy, catchy and irresistible.
The hall filled with audience members eager for an encore, C-bass graced the crowd with snazzy stick work and a drum solo rendition of the “ABCs.” It was this that brought the rest of the band back onstage, jumping into a performance of “Flesh and Bone.” The finale was their big hit “Kick it to Me,” which had not a single soul standing still or silent.
With her farewell, Sammy Rae implored the crowd to “next time, bring a friend; the room gets a little bigger, the crowd gets a little louder, we get to play a little longer.”
