Last night, God Street Wine kicked off a three-show Halloween run at New York’s The Gramercy Theatre. The New York-bred group’s first show since they released their new studio album The Method, which was recorded in front of a studio audience at Woodstock, NY’s Utopia Studio, the musicians kicked off the night with their first live take on “Rabbit Ears” since those March sessions earlier this year.
For The Method, guitarist/singer Lo Faber designed and wrote out a unique multi-point process to help his band co-write, resulting in a collaborative songwriting process. They then tracked the LP together at Utopia, the first time they had been in a proper studio as a band since they initially parted ways in 1999. They sprinkled in another five tunes from The Method throughout Friday’s Gramercy gig as well—“Another Wonderful Secret,” “Dreaming of Bob,” “Michigan,” “Nightbird” and “This Is Fine, Fido.” “Dreaming of Bob,” “Michigan” and “This Is Fine, Fido” were also all live debuts outside the Utopia sessions while they played “Another Wonderful Secret” and “Michigan” in public this summer.
Yesterday’s show featured a number of other surprises, too. Keyboardist/fiddler Jason Crosby, a longtime fan of the group who was briefly an official member of the ensemble in 1999 and has grown into a regular guest, emerged partway through their first set for “Chop” and remained on stage throughout the rest of the night. In addition, God Street Wine were augmented by the three-piece Uncorked Horns—Alex Owen (trumpet), Matt Musselman (trombone) and Matt Ellis (tenor sax)—during their second set and vocalist and regular God Street Wine collaborator Lizzy Love joined in at the top of the band’s encore for a cover of Paul Simon’s “Late in the Evening,” which God Street Wine has not covered since August 31, 2019. During the show, they also busted out their signature take on Madonna’s “Express Yourself” since December 23, 1999, and Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic,” another regular ‘90s cover, for the first time since September 21, 2024. The first-set run from “Wendy,” which recounts late nights of seeing GSW in New York, and “Home Again” also felt particularly fitting for their return to New York
God Street Wine’s Halloween run will continue at Woodstock, NY’s Bearsville Theatre this evening. They will honor The Wetlands as their Halloween theme.
Here’s a look at last night’s setlist via Setlist.fm
Friday, October 30, Gramercy Theatre, New York, NY
Set I:
Rabbit Ears
Wendy
Home Again
Chop
Molly
Dreaming of Bob
Driving West
Nightbird
Princess Henrietta
Set 2:
Thirsty
This Is Fine, Fido
RU4 Real
Express Yourself
Another Wonderful Secret
Nightingale
Into the Mystic
Get on the Train
Encore:
Late in the Evening (with Lizzy Loves on vocals)
Brick House
Michigan
