The highly-praised, blue-eyed soul band Lake Street Dive brought Madison to its knees with their high-energy yet exquisitely intimate, sold-out show at the Majestic Sunday.
The night began with Brooklyn-based indie-dance group, Rubblebucket. Throughout their first number “My Life,” from their 2015 album Survival Sounds, lead singer, Kalmia Traver, effortlessly transitioned from vocals to tenor sax back to vocals, setting a precedent for the band’s striking 45 minute set. Heavy on horn and brimming with whimsy, Rubblebucket had the crowd jumping and thriving off of their eclectic spirit from beginning to end.
While the crew set the stage for Lake Street Dive, the crowd buzzed with jovial anticipation as the performance they had been waiting for since July was moments away from becoming a reality.
The stage went black and a rumble of drums, bass and trumpet was met by the booming cheers of the audience. When lead singer Rachael Price sang the first note of “I Don’t Care About You” off of their most recent album Side Pony, the crowd of nearly 600 simply melted into a puddle of sheer awe.
Equipped with her bouncy, caramel curls, brilliant smile and powerhouse vocals, Price is the epitome of a star. Her ethereal sound possesses a refined quality, while also maintaining a roughness that makes fans believe what she has to say.
She commanded the audience’s attention, all the while supporting her brilliantly-talented band mates on stage.
With Bridget Kearney on bass, Mike Calabrese on drums and Mike Olson on guitar and trumpet, the Lake Street Dive puzzle is complete. The group works like a well-oiled machine with the members playing off one another’s energy and talent.
Toward the end of their up-beat hit, “Godawful Things,” the group takes one of the choruses at a slower tempo. While this slight variation is indeed powerful on the album, in person it is nothing short of gospel.
As if by some unspoken force, everyone in Sunday’s crowd stopped singing along. All that remained was the richness of Price’s tone and the feeling that everyone’s arm hairs were standing straight up.
It is very rare for a group of adults to be emboldened to sing along to a song or dance without hesitation. Not only did Lake Street Dive do that for almost two hours straight, they made it look easy.
A previous version of this article stated Mike Olson was on drums and trumpet. It should have stated he was on guitars and trumpet. The Badger Herald regrets this mistake.
