Pigeons Playing Ping Pong Bring Dance-y Funk Jams To Sold-Out Free At Noon
Baltimore’s Pigeons Playing Ping Pong delivered a high-energy, groovy set to a crowded room packed with dancing fans at this week’s Free At Noon.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong | photo by Max Bennett for WXPN
Temperatures reached the mid 60s Friday in Philadelphia, but Free At Noon here at WXPN was downright hot thanks to the blazing performance from Baltimore funk jammers Pigeons Playing Ping Pong.
The four piece drew a massive crowd for their hour-long set that featured tracks from their latest release, Feed The Fire, as well as some newly written songs not yet put to wax and cuts from past albums.
Fans showed up well in advance of the gig’s noon start time and when doors open they packed into the venue to soak in danceable tunes, ripping guitar solos, groovy bass, thundering drums, and feel-good vocals.
They opened with, “Calm Before The Storm,” the lead song from Feed The Fire, which listeners may have heard on our broadcasts. Primed to have a good time, show goers were dancing as soon as the song kicked off.
Next up was “Mine,” also from the new album, followed by the super laid back “Right Track,” which got the crowd swaying to the island vibes and scat-style chorus vocal melody.
Tapping into Feed The Fire more, Pigeons then served up the instrumental track “Twitch.”
Vocalist and guitarist Greg Ormont the told the crowd that despite having a relatively new release out, some new unreleased songs were on tap. They went into “Love Trap,” “Polaroid,” then “Fantasy,” none which are available to hear other than a live gig.
Pigeons threw it back to 2020 with “Dawn A New Day.”
The show ended with an encore performance of “Water,” off their 2022 album Perspective. Lead guitarist Jeremy Schon let loose during the song, lighting the venue up with intense but melodic guitar soloing.
Prior to exiting the stage, Ormont told the crowd to pass one the shared positive energy that filled the room, encouraging attendees to spread some good in the world.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong is heading to Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg April 30, XL Live in Harrisburg; May 2 and May 3, and is headlining Island Jam at Veterans Island at Cooper River Park on June 6.