Vulfpeck Make It a Funky Saturday Night at Madison Square Garden

Vulfpeck – Madison Square Garden – September 28, 2019

They went and did it, this wily pack of wolves—called their shot, said Madison Square Garden wasn’t out of reach, and then sold out the fucker in advance. If you’re keeping score, yeah, that’s fewer than six years from Vulfpeck’s first official New York City gig to selling out the Garden, at about a 150x multiple in terms of seating capacity. How’d this happen? Well, Vulfpeck are simply dynamite, man—an approach to funk that has appeal broad enough to touch everyone from D’Angelo to Herbie Hancock fans, with a core of musicians who insist on it being tighter than tight. There are melodic leads and ample room for standout voices, but what’s pronounced are the rhythm and the grooves—supple, electric, greasy, cerebral, loping—and a deep and variable pocket. Vulfpeck take inspiration from the legendary rhythm-first crews with names like Muscle Shoals, Wrecking Crew and Funk Brothers. You get the sense they could take any project and own it pretty convincingly. 

Less talked about than their chops is how Joe Dart, Theo Katzman, Woody Goss and Jack Stratton have evolved as songsmiths. Earlier Vulfpeck—if there is such a thing (they just got here!)—focused more on sketches that could be jam-able. They’ve since fleshed out things without abandoning those loose constructs. The MSG show focused on their material, without apparent need for themes, lengthy cover asides or gimmicks to round out the bigness of the gig. Where they indulged was with friends: The core quartet swelled to double and triple its size at times as old pals like Joey Dosik, Cory Wong and Nate Smith worked their way in and out of the ensemble. And hey, this was MSG and it was time to flex a bit. Dave Koz and Chris Thile were some of the guests who stopped in to be part of the action.

But it all felt like a friends-and-family party, someone’s basement jam that just happened to occupy MSG. They romped through favorites like “Dean Town,” “Daddy, He Got a Tesla,” “Funky Duck” and “Back Pocket.” They laughed, even when occasional technical flubs stalled mics or fuzzed some transitions. All good. Vulfpeck had the Garden in their grasp and worked it hard. They earned their ovation. —Chad Berndtson | @Cberndtson

Photos courtesy of Marc Millman | www.marcmillmanphotos.com/music