The Los Angeles intimate venue El Rey Theatre was completely sold out for Ripe’s “Bright Blues Tour” on Friday night. The venue was filled with high-energy, groovy beats and of course non-stop dancing as the Boston band celebrated with fans and friends for their first LA show since relocating to the city.
Ripe celebrated the release of their sophomore album Bright Blues with a full North American headlining tour. The 12-track record is full of sleek grooves and bold melodies that when combined create feel-good anthems. The alt-pop group have been on the road since late-March and officially close out the “Bright Blues Tour” on April 29 in Phoenix, Arizona. Before heading over to their final show of the tour, Ripe stopped by LA to bring the party to the entertainment capital.
The night began with an epic performance by Mobley. The soulful pop artist performed one of the most incredible one-man shows Friday night. Mobley is an Austin-based singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist who’s performances are like no other. Mobley stepped out wearing a vintage television helmet quickly astonishing the audience as he performed every single instrument himself on stage. The innovative artist even plays music using the hands of four audience members. Mobley put on an amazing show hyping up the crowd for Ripe.
If the crowd wasn’t energetic enough after Mobley’s performance, Ripe surely fired up the crowd with their high-energy. Ripe opened up with a livelier version of “Get Over” from Bright Blues. The band brought out ska into the mix with with “Flipside” and “Passerby.” Nearly between every track an audience member consistently shouted out “I love you” to the band with a flushed Robbie Wulfsohn responding “I don’t even know you that well, but thank you. We love you all.”
The party continued as Ripe brought out the funky rhythm with “Queen of the City,” “Stanky” and “Goon Squad.” The band’s music is a great fusion of deep funk, soulful jazz, pop melodies, and more topped off with extraordinary horns. Ripe’s music is even better when performed live as the energy behind every note intensifies vibrating the band’s soulful passion of creating groovy music.
The band surprised the audience with three great covers such as Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2″ (which of course was perfectly sang along with the audience), U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and The Kinks’ “Lola.” Ripe concluded the show with an encore performing a funky rendition of “Lola” and fan-favorite “Little Lighter” which was requested repeatedly by the audience. Ripe is a band that everyone must see live at least once in their life as they are able to create an amazing ambiance through not only their uplifting rhythm but also their charismatic persona. Ripe is singer Wulfsohn, drummer Sampson Hellerman, trombonist Calvin Barthel, and guitarist Jon Becker.
Things seem to be picking up for Ripe following their new direction with Bright Blues, hopefully they keep the surprises coming. Ripe is set to perform in several festivals throughout North America including FloydFest, Peach Music Festival and more. For more information on Ripe visit here.
Leave a Comment