SummerStage in Central Park (New York, NY)
06/15/23
On June 15th, alternative-jazz-rock band Sammy Rae & The Friends performed in New York’s iconic Central Park to a crowd of thousands of enthusiastic fans. Opening up the show was New York’s own Rubblebucket, with a lively set full of indie-rock, dancing, and memorable trumpet solos, effortlessly getting the crowd ready for a night to remember.
Following supporting act Rubblebucket, Sammy Rae & The Friends took the stage for their own set. One by one “The Friends” ran out, already laughing and dancing, each to their own entrance applause and celebration from adoring fans in the crowd, with lead singer Sammy Rae coming in last to kick off their set with “The Feeling,” the opening track off of their 2018 E.P., The Good Life, that helped launch them into popularity, followed by 2020 single “Whatever We Feel.” Rae then briefly ran offstage only to come back seconds later, having quick-changed into an astronautical jumpsuit for an unforgettable performance of 2022 single “Follow Me Like the Moon.” This was far from the only outfit change of the night – seemingly taking inspiration from her theater roots, Rae even had an onstage quick-change with a transforming outfit, adorned a denim jacket for their song, “Denim Jacket,” a school uniform for “Jackie Onassis” matching the one worn on the cover art, and eventually even came out in a cape of rainbow fringe in celebration of pride month.
There’s nothing quite like the atmosphere of an NYC-based band singing songs about queer joy to a crowd of adoring hometown fans, many LGBTQ+ themselves, in the middle of pride month on a beautiful summer evening. Elevated by the perfect crowd, weather, and pride, Sammy Rae & The Friends put on an incredibly lively and captivating performance, never missing a beat and surely exhausting all of a seemingly never-ending supply of energy. Rae’s impressive jazz vocals would have made for a worthwhile show on their own, accentuated with dancing, jumping, crowd engagement, and knowing exactly when to pull back and let the rest of the band take the spotlight. With James Quinlon on bass, drummer C-bass Chiriboga, Debbie Tjong on keys, and Max Zooi and Kellon Reese on tenor and alto saxophone respectively, the stage was full and perfectly balanced with masterful musicianship and an exuberant stage presence from all. Kellon Reese in particular put on a delightful performance, with countless impressive solos throughout the night made better only by his infectious smile and energy. For the first half of the set, Sammy Rae & The Friends were also joined by Boston’s Nebulous Quartet, an incredible addition to the stage. They weren’t the only special guest of the evening – as the lead singer of New York indie-soul band Melt later came onstage to join Sammy in performing an incredible cover of “Long Train Runnin’” by The Doobie Brothers.
Sammy Rae & The Friends are hard at work on their first full-length album and will be touring across the U.S. this fall, and are certainly not one to miss.
