George Porter Jr. and Runnin’ Pardners jam out on the Marina Stage

Just when you thought that the night couldn’t get more groovier, George Porter Jr. and his band hit the Marina stage to play 50 minutes of pure magic.

I was lucky enough to catch the backend of Porter’s soundcheck – which sounded so good that I had to double-check to make sure I had the set times right! But more than that, the folks camped out in front of the Marina stage got an extra glimpse of Porter’s good nature as he and the Runnin’ Pardners jammed together before their set.

You may know George Porter Jr. as the bass player for American funk band The Meters (and he did play three Meters songs, but more on that later). Formed in the mid 60’s, The Meters came to be recognized as one of the founders of funk and R&B. Porter is now also the band leader of his own project, the Runnin’ Pardners, who are well versed in the jam band and festival scene.

It makes perfect sense, then, that Porter and Runnin’ Pardners smashed their XPN Fest set. Made up of Michael Lemmler on keyboards and vocals, Chris Adkins on guitar and vocals, and Terrence Houston on drums and vocals the Runnin’ Pardners grooved synchonously with Porter, for a fusion of blues, rock, and funk.

While the crowd at the front was full of nonstop movement, the audience spread out on the lawn in chairs were also compelled to nod their heads and tap their feet along with the beat. During “Wanna Get Funky,” the band got the lawn to clap along.

Porter didn’t need words to covey emotion through most of his songs – although the occasional scat certainly helped. Rather, he let his fingers do the talking as they floated over his bass in a hypnotizing movement.

At one point, Porter shared that he was stopped by a fan earlier in the day and asked if he would play a Meters songs. But why stop at one? Porter and Runnin’ Pardners went on to play three Meters songs, much to fans’ delight.

When life gets rough, Porter’s music is perfect the perfect escape, just close your eyes and, for  lack of a better word, vibe. While some in the crowd chose to do their own interpretive dances, I chose to sit down in the grass and relax. Either way, I’m sure that everyone in the crowd had a groovin’ good time.