A jumble of energetic bliss: Sammy Rae & The Friends’ first show in Alabama was nothing short of memorable.
Sammy Rae & The Friends 10/05/2022 at Saturn | Dylan Basden Photography
Sammy Rae & The Friends are spreading their music all throughout America on their tour, "If It All Goes South," supporting their most recent single of the same title. The seven-piece band from New York is making a name for themselves in the jazz rock world, one swing of hips at a time. Sammy is eager to share her good energy and make friends with every single person she sings too, this is made obvious by her performance on Saturn’s stage. The crowd, just shy of a sellout at over 450 strong, was enthralled the entire show.
The Collection 10/05/2022 at Saturn | Dylan Basden Photography
About 200 people had already gotten to the retro-themed venue when The Collection opened the stage, making the crowds clap to the catchy rhythms. Dancing, and jumping, and bopping their heads around the room, The Collection delivered a particularly animated performance. The band bounced from wall to wall, so fast it was essentially impossible to keep your eyes fixed on a single member for too long. Sharing his past experiences with the masses, the vocalist David Wimbish, even made people memorize the lyrics of the songs so they could sing along, making it a fun and dynamic eve to The Friends’ performance.
Sammy Rae & The Friends 10/05/2022 at Saturn | Dylan Basden Photography
It was around 9 pm when Sammy Rae stepped onto the stage, grasped the mic and made the audience come alive with the tracks "Follow Me Like the Moon," "Talk It Up," and "Whatever We Feel." As real as the physical barrier, separating the stage and the audience’s floor, might have been, the band made you feel as if it was just you and them on a living room couch. Every song performed was extremely personal, like a conversation with an old friend.
Sammy Rae & The Friends 10/05/2022 at Saturn | Dylan Basden Photography
The band continued with the tracks "Denim Jacket," "Jackie Onassis," and "Living Room Floor"—for which they pulled an acoustic number. These were staggered with solos from every single member of the band, as if introducing themselves to the crowd. With vibrant saxophone melodies and drums so deep you could feel them in your stomach, Sammy Rae & The Friends made it impossible not to dance your heart out.
Sammy Rae & The Friends 10/05/2022 at Saturn | Dylan Basden Photography
After this came their song "The Box", described by the Sammy as a story about what it means to be a woman, to be a man, to be neither, and to be both. Redundant to say, it was almost a spiritual experience singing the bridge with hands in the air, along hundreds of other people.
Sammy Rae & The Friends 10/05/2022 at Saturn | Dylan Basden Photography
A shorter setlist in numbers, but far from a short set, The Friends' blend of jazz and jam extended out each song into a concoction of sound the ebbed and flowed throughout. Check out the band's full setlist below.
1. Follow Me Like the Moon
2. Talk It Up
3. Whatever We Feel
4. Denim Jacket
5. Jackie Onassis
6. Living Room Floor (B-Stage)
7. The Box (B-Stage)
8. For the Time Being (B-Stage)
9. Good Life
10. Flesh & Bone
11. If It All Goes South
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12. Friends In Low Places
13. Kick It To Me
Sammy Rae & The Friends 10/05/2022 at Saturn | Dylan Basden Photography
After their show in Birmingham Sammy Rae & The Friends will continue their trip throughout the states, followed by a European tour. The dates are as follows:
10/07 Athens, GA — Georgia Theatre*
10/08 Nashville, TN — Brooklyn Bowl*
10/09 Asheville, NC — The Orange Peel*
10/11 Raleigh, NC — The Ritz*
10/12 Silver Springs, MD — The Fillmore*
10/13 Philadelphia, PA — The Fillmore*
10/15 Boston, MA — Roadrunner*
10/16 White Plains, NY — Serious Fun Arts Festival 2022
10/27 Madison, WI — The Sylvee
10/28 Minneapolis, MN — First Avenue
10/29 Lincoln, NE — The Bourbon Theatre
10/31 Lawrence, KS — The Granada
11/02 Englewood, CO — Gothic Theatre
11/03 Salt Lake City, UT — The Commonwealth Room
11/04 Boise, ID — Knitting Factory Concert House
11/06 Seattle, WA — The Showbox
11/07 Seattle, WA — The Showbox
11/09 Portland, OR — McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
11/11 San Francisco, CA — The Regency Ballroom
11/12 Los Angelos, CA — The Fonda Theatre
11/13 Los Angelos, CA — The Fonda Theatre
11/15 San Diego, CA — House of Blues
11/16 Las Vegas, NV — Brooklyn Bowl
11/17 Tempe, AZ — Marquee Theatre
1/25/2023 Bristol, UK — The Fleece
1/26/2023 London, UK — Koko
1/28/2023 Glasgow, UK — Celtic Connections
2/02/2023 Amsterdam, NL — Paradiso
2/03/2023 London, UK — Electric
2/04/2023 Manchester, UK — Band on the Wall
* with The Collection
Sammy Rae & The Friends 10/05/2022 at Saturn | Dylan Basden Photography
Sammy Rae & The Friends preach pure joy with raw, volatile energy that cannot be ignored. This seven-piece band marches onto the stage, packed with an amazing attitude, making connections with an audience that will only grow as their career escalates.
