Dispatch, photo by Marc Millman

On Tuesday, July 1, Dispatch took the stage at New York’s Pier 17 for another packed performance on their national Summer Tour. Against the stunning backdrop of Manhattan’s skyline, the long-running genre-bending jam ensemble welcomed a full slate of supporting sets from their acclaimed peers, including Australian-American singer, songwriter, activist and instrumentalist John Butler with his band, laid-back blues fusion outfit G. Love and Special Sauce and surf-rocker Donavon Frankenreiter.

After an opening crossover from G. Love and Frankenreiter, Butler and his band took the stage to continue the rollout for PRISM, the long-awaited third chapter of the Four Seasons, a creatively re-centering four-record cycle that brought the healing ambient project Running River and powerful instrumental collection Still Searching in 2024. Alongside old favorites like “Treat Yo Mama,” “Zebra” and “Funky Tonight,” Butler introduced the forthcoming release–set to arrive on Sept. 5 via Jarrah Records–with the lead single “Trippin on You,” an infectious blues-tinted pop arrangement that houses his trademark brand of contemplative and lighthearted storytelling.

“It’s a big life, and the world — in many ways — is in turmoil,” Butler shared of the new album in a release. “Personally, I did a lot of soul-searching as this record took shape. PRISM is a cathartic release and a celebration of going solo. It reflects the full bandwidth of human emotion — love, death, politics, turmoil, and redemption.”

Dispatch’s headline set saw the reggae-funk-and-folk group’s reunion with founding drummer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Brad Corrigan, who had taken a few weeks away from touring to welcome a new child. Returned to their long-running formation, the band opened with “Bats in the Belfry” and wound through other longtime staples like “Midnight Lorry” and “Only the Wild Ones” before Butler returned to the stage to sit in on a treatment of their new song “Trinket.” After further essentials, including “Curse + Crush” and “Open Up,” Dispatch closed out the show with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.”

Dispatch’s Summer Tour with Butler, G. Love and Frankenreiter will resume on July 24 and continue through August 8. Find tickets and more information at dispatchmusic.com.

Get an inside look at the Pier 17 performance in the gallery below, courtesy of photographer Marc Millman.