As part of the band’s ongoing Full Show Friday series, today, Ghost Light has released an official recording of their performance at Grand Rapids, Michigan’s Founders Brewing Company on May 17, 2018. Marking the seventh audio release of the series, the show captured fell during the third leg of the group’s inaugural tour, following up a celebrated three-night run across Colorado and well-received performance at Chicago’s City Winery.
With the band — composed of Tom Hamilton, Holly Bowling, Raina Mullen, Scotty Zwang and Steve Lyons — making its debut in Grand Rapids, Ghost Light proved that the buzz it quickly generated last year was well earned. Focused on expansive and exploratory improvisation, during the Grand Rapids show, the group expertly weaved through their setlist, which featured a three-song first set and five-song second set.
To start things off, Ghost Light used a jam to segue into an extended cover of American Babies’ “Old Time Religion”, with the entry into the song spanning over 20 minutes. From there, the group moved into “Keep Your Hands To Yourself,” which became a standout original during the band’s showings in 2018. To close out the first set, Ghost Light used a triumphant cover of Rolling Stones’ “Sway,” off the band’s 1971 album Sticky Fingers, to sandwich a return into “Keep Your Hands To Yourself.”
For the second set, Ghost Light opened with “Nickels & Dimes,” a tune that highlighted bassist Steve Lyons and was anchored by vocals from Tom Hamilton. The group then moved into a nearly 10-minute take on Brothers Past’s “Simple Gift Of A Man” before landing in a 13+ minute rendition of David Bowie’s “Lazarus,” off the pop icon’s final album, 2016’s Blackstar. To close out the second set’s non-stop opening sequence, Ghost Light returned to “Simple Gift Of Man.” After a quick reset, next up, the band offered up original “Diamond Eyes,” a rockin’ tune showcasing the powerful vocals of Raina Mullen that spanned almost 17 minutes. To close out the second set, the group returned to the American Babies catalog, performing a 17-minute “Fever Dreams” that housed a genre-spanning jam led in by Holly Bowling.
Listen to the official recording of Ghost Light’s performance in Grand Rapids on May 17, 2018, below.
Full Show Audio (Taped by Lauren Apichell & Jeffery Bowling)
Setlist
Set One: Jam > Old Time Religion > Keep Your Hands to Yourself, Sway > Keep Your Hands to Yourself > Sway
Set Two: Nickels & Dimes > Simple Gift of Man > Lazarus > Simple Gift of Man, Diamond Eyes, Fever Dreams
Encore: Break, Bullseye Blues
