Papadosio resumed its winter tour this past weekend with a two-night run in Baltimore and Richmond, marking the band’s return to both cities for the first time since 2019.
Night one, at Baltimore Soundstage, began with a spicy mashup set by Baltimore-bred SOOHAN as the room filled near capacity with smiling faces, setting an undulant tone among the excited crowd.
Papadosio took the stage at 9:30 p.m. and set into an intricate “improg” intro—to borrow a new portmanteau genre name suggested by Dopapod’s Rob Compa—that built up to the first notes of “Puddles for Oceans”, taking its soft and admonishing theme to transformative levels of heavy instrumental revelation.
The crowd settled and the band broke into what seemed to be the longest version yet of one of its most recent tracks, “You’re A Catman”. Played for the fifth time since its release in December, the band took this new song on a journey through jazzy, multidimensional prog pits, sometimes crawling, sometimes hurtling through hyperspace. Each performance thus far has proved another developmental staircase leapt in the potential for improvisational conversation within the song.
Segueing into a traditional rendition of hypnotic Content Coma track “Fanfare for the Rain People” and building to its crescendo, the band then moved into a layered XL version of “Zoom Out”.
After the first pause in well over 30 minutes, Papadosio played a juicy, lurching version of “Shiitake” from 2020’s Microdosio followed by “Out of Hiding” off 2015’s Extras in a Movie. The band then performed two classics from its 17-year repertoire that were sure to invigorate the room: “The Plug”, tickled with teases of “Madre de Dios”, and a mind-melting “Improbability Blotter”.
Ending the set with a “We are Water” that plummeted gracefully from its fast-paced electronic skip across the surf into sultry depths of extemporaneous underwater tango, Papadosio left the stage for a few minutes amid ecstatic cheers but returned shortly after for a seven-minute encore of “Versicolor” to cap the night.
Night two, at Canal Club in Richmond, began with Craunic and another set by SOOHAN to a sold-out house.
Papadosio opened its set at 10:30 p.m. with an XL version of “Skipswitch” coupled with lysergic swamp visuals from Dustin Klein and brought the crowd back to earth with a textured and heartfelt “Not Just A Word”.
At this point, guitarist Anthony Thogmartin chuckled and said, “We’re going to let Billy sing,” referring to synth player Billy Brouse and a humorous shirt often worn by fans, including one at the rail that night, which says, “LET BILLY SING”—and sing he did. The band launched into “The World is A Cube”, a dark sardonic gem about trapping oneself in internet echo chambers, rarely seen live since 2019.
A scattered tinkling of keys from Sam Brouse, an alluring, noncommittal riff from bassist Rob McConnell, a loose patter from drummer Mike Healy, and the whole band came together in a unified intro jam that evoked whispers and screams of familiarity from around the crowd: “Unparalyzer!” With that, Papadosio broke into the longtime fan favorite from 2008’s By the Light of the Stars EP, replete with all its traditional wonder before dropping into a fitting full-spectrum improvisational journey.
Taking a detour from the main theme of “Agarikon” into a patterned drift that grew buoyant and playful as calliope music, the band segued into yet another disciplined free-form ride through “Magreenery”. The jam grew low, almost silent, as it transitioned into a rare and magical moment: “I Had the Same Dream (_)”. Performed live ten times in the same number of years, the effect of this tranquil instrumental song was palpable as at least one fan literally sobbed with joy near the front of the crowd.
The segues continued into “Dare You”, the most recent release from Papadosio’s upcoming album, and an intricate XL version of “Lion’s Mane”, full of clockwork twists and ludic rhythms. With that, the set came to a close.
There is nothing quite like the enchanted uproar at the end of a sold-out show. No sooner had Papadosio left the stage than the crowd erupted in a collective chant for one more song. The band returned from the green room and threw down a backbreaking “Geoglyph” to wrap the night in a frenzy of uninhibited dance.
Papadosio’s winter tour continues with two nights at the historic Tiptina’s in New Orleans on March 3rd and 4th. Find tickets and a full list of upcoming dates on the band’s website.
Papadosio – “You’re A Catman” – 2/17/23
[Video: Stray House Studios]
Setlist [via Phantasy Tour]: Papadosio | Baltimore Soundstage | Baltimore, MD | 2/17/23
Set: Puddles for Oceans, You’re A Catman > Fanfare for the Rain People > Zoom Out [1], Shiitake, Out of Hiding, The Plug, Improbability Blotter, We are Water
Encore: Versicolor
[1] XL
Setlist [via Phantasy Tour]: Papadosio | Canal Club | Richmond, VA | 2/18/23
Set: Skipswitch [1], Not Just A Word, The World is A Cube, Unparalyzer, Agarikon > Magreenery > I Had the Same Dream (_) > Dare You > Lion’s Mane [1]
Encore: Geoglyph
[1] XL
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