Photos by Tim Dwenger
The Scene: It’s always a party when The Congress plays and Friday night was no different. With old friends high-fiving and hugging out under the marquee and inside the great little theater on Colfax, there was a feeling of family hanging in the air. When the boys in The Congress lived in Denver they were frequently found at The Bluebird; either on-stage or out in the crowd soaking up the music of the countless local and national touring acts that play there regularly. Now they have graduated to the national touring scene themselves and we couldn’t be more proud!
Opener: Megan Burtt & The Cure For Love. When we walked into The Bluebird, local songstress Megan Burtt and her band The Cure for Love were tearing it up on stage. There is no shortage of passion and soul in this fiery redhead and she laid it all out on the stage warming up the crowd for The Congress.
The Congress: Right off the bat, the boys in The Congress showed they hadn’t gotten stuffy with their recent move to the East Coast when they chose to open the show with a Mariah Carey cover! I’ve always known that bassist Jonathan Meadows has one of the sweetest voices on the scene but even to tackle this song was ballsy and damn if it didn’t sound great. Check it out for yourself right here.
With some of their characteristic shenanigans out of the way early, The Congress settled into a blistering rock show that featured a jammed out version of “Walls” from their 2012 release Whatever You Want. This great version of a longtime favorite of mine allowed guitar hero Scott Lane to stretch out, let loose a little bit and, as the jam turned in an interesting direction, I found myself jotting down a note that they seemed to be teasing My Morning Jacket when Meadows signaled the rest of the band and they dropped into The Jacket’s “Wordless Chorus.” After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I settled in for a ride on the epic tune that did not disappoint. Meadows again put his pipes on full display as he channeled Jim James and wow’d the crowd. This one should go in the regular rotation.
Despite the two monumental and crowd pleasing covers early on, the boys weren’t done and surprised us all again when, a few songs later, they dropped a verse or two of “When Doves Cry” in the middle of their stellar new original “Ain’t It Easy.” It was an interesting jump from the driving rocker into the 80’s anthem but they pulled it off and honored The Purple One with style.
After another great tune from their upcoming album in “The Game,” Meadows invited longtime friend Robby Peoples to the stage for a couple of tunes that allowed The Congress to reprise the backing band role they played on Peoples’ 2013 EP Love Don’t Love Me No More. From the moment Peoples stepped on the stage, it was clear that everyone was having a blast as the Mississippi native got crazy on the harmonica and Lane tore it up on the guitar. It was like a scene out of The Blues Brothers (minus the chicken wire and flying beer bottles). The whole room was into it and Peoples fed off the energy as his blues soaked voice filled the room and thrilled the crowd. Simply put, that man is an entertainer. Don’t miss your next chance to let Robby Peoples baptize you in the Blues!
A little later in the set, The Congress treated us to a strong original penned by new drummer Raphael Katchinoff before waving goodbye and disappearing into the wings. Despite the lone encore listed on the setlist, the boys returned with Peoples in tow and took things off script as they dove headlong back into the South. Meadows and Peoples traded lines on a tune before The Congress dusted off Erykah Badu’s “Tyrone” and wow’d us all again with delightfully dirty version of the R&B gem.
At this point Peoples left the stage, sweaty and breathless, and the band settled into a track from their 2013 EP The Loft Tapes. “Killing Me Softly” again allowed Meadows to lay it all out on this Roberta Flack classic and again I was reminded of how diverse a band The Congress truly is. Throughout the course of their nearly 2 hour set they seamlessly slipped from R&B into Rock into Blues into Soul into Americana and they did it all with their signature style. I’ve known it for a long time, but these boys are the real deal and, with all the festival plays on their schedule this summer, it looks like the rest of the country might finally find that out.
Energy: A
Musicianship: A
Sound: B-
Stage Presence: A
Set/Light Show: B
Overall: A-
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