JACKSON, Wyo. — Cross-pollinating soul, folk, jazz, classic pop, and funk has rarely sounded as uplifting and electrifying as Lake Street Dive. The recently Grammy-nominated quintet sold out the first show and then added a second show for Saturday and Sunday, July 5-6, at the Center Theater.
The Boston-bred, genre-defying ensemble has consciously established a path of positivity within a time of division and negativity. Whether leaning into a tender ballad or belting with fiery conviction, the voice of incomparable Rachael Price carries listeners through eclectic arrangements that somehow always feel fresh and effortless. With influences rooted in the Staples Singers, the Beatles and Aretha Franklin, it’s no wonder the five-piece has taken a few notes of living in tumultuous times and infusing that into their songs, joyful beacons no less, to deal with what’s at stake.
It’s wild to think this band of college buds broke through after a YouTube video of the group performing Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back”—a seemingly spontaneous, doo-wop style take—went viral. Soon after, T-Bone Burnett tapped them for a performance at the “Another Day, Another Time” concert in NYC’s Town Hall. Rolling Stone would go onto say that they were “unexpected showstoppers,” and later called them “the year’s best new band.” Lake Street Dive’s music is brilliantly restrained and continues to evolve. A few tickets remain.
The Center Presents Lake Street Dive at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 5 & July 6, at the Center Theater. Tickets are $163-$283. JHCenterForTheArts.org.
