Progessive rockers TAUK are in the middle of a massive spring tour spanning January until April and traversing all regions of the country. They will have done a couple of shows supporting bands such as Lettuce, Railroad Earth, and STS9. Nonetheless, this spring tour is about TAUK exhibiting their brand of improvisational rock. Last night they stopped in Madison Wisconsin’s Majestic Theatre. It was a concert that demonstrated why TAUK is a band that is steadily on the rise.
Before TAUK could get started Minneapolis funksters PHO opened. All things considered PHO lived up to the recommendation given by the legendary Prince. They play a very infectious funk that filled every minute of their opening hour-long slot with seemingly limitless energy.
Then it was all TAUK. In honor of the 20 year anniversary of the untimely death of rap superstar Notorious B.I.G., the band members of TAUK came out to the tune of “Big Poppa” blaring over the speakers. As they marched on to the stage, they passed out cake to members of the audience. As fans and band members alike enjoyed the sweet dessert, the band exemplified the lyric of, “Believe me sweety, I got enough food to feed the needy, No need to be greedy.” It was a cool way to begin the show.
What followed was what TAUK does best – some serious progressive rock. They opened with a bouncing “The Drop.” They followed it with a cascading “Rainwalk.” If one was observant, one could see a demonstration of the unbridled enthusiasm for life of drummer Isaac Teel. As they meandered into the introduction of the song he began to hit his electronic drum producing a sample that said, “Go, go, oh yeah!” Teel moved his mouth in unison, and then cracked his trademark smile. It was funny and fun.
Other highlights of the concert included covers of Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter” as well as The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” The highlight of the night was “Mindshift.” The song featured some very ambient improvisation for the band before eventually arriving to the blistering peak. Guitarist Matt Jalbert really took to the spotlight to showcase his shredding skills for the end of the song. The encore included “The Chemist” before ending the night with the fan-favorite “Collateral.”
TAUK continues to produce high quality concerts that display how tight the band has become. With many more tour dates in March and April, it would be a crime to miss them if they swing through your area. Tonight they will be co-headlining a show in Minneapolis with Papadosio.
Setlist: TAUK | Majestic Theatre | Madison, WI | 3/9/17
Set: The Drop, Rainwalk, Flashback, Premises, Hello Narwhal, Carpentino’s Rebirth, Waver, No Quarter, Mindshift, When In Doubt, Eleanor Rigby, In the Basement of the Alamo
Encore: The Chemist, Collateral
The post TAUK Honors Notorious B.I.G., Covers Zeppelin & Beatles At The Majestic [Review/Gallery] appeared first on L4LM.
