Over the weekend, God Street Wine used Halloween weekend to honor New York’s famed Wetlands at Woodstock, NY’s Bearsville Theater just over 25 years after the venue shuttered. The reactivated group also used the shows to celebrate the release of their new studio album The Method, performing 10 of the LP’s 11 tracks between the two shows at Bearsville. The only selection they didn’t play in Woodstock, “Rabbit Ears,” was one of six cuts from The Method they ran through during the album’s release party at New York’s The Gramercy Theatre on Friday.
In order to recreate the spirit of Wetlands, the band decorated the space with classic posters, banners and other paraphernalia from the Tribeca club’s heyday. Former Wetlands owner Peter Shapiro, who currently oversees the Bearsville Theater’s musical offerings, also lent the theater the original Wetlands barstool he keeps in his office for Live From Relix video sessions. The weekend’s house music also nodded to the revered spot by hosting selections from Blues Traveler’s first two albums and Gov’t Mule’s Dose.
Each night also featured a special opening act with deep ties to Wetlands. On Halloween proper, Ominous Seapods, who often supported God Street Wine on the road in the ’90s, came together for a rare show to kick of the night. During God Street Wine’s first set, Ominous Seapods guitarist Max Verna, who opened one of GSW’s final shows at Wetlands before parting ways in 1999 with the bluegrass combo Phineas Gage, returned to the stage to play guitar and banjo on “6:15,” “Stranger,” “Diana” and the band’s first take on the Hot Rize’s “Nellie Kane,” which has long entered the jamband repertoire thanks to Phish’s spin on the tune. Josh Himmelsbach also added mandolin to “Nellie Kane” and returned during God Street Wine’s second set for “Hellfire,” “Nightbird” and “Borderline,” as well as another Wetlands-approved cover, Jerry Garcia’s “Sugaree,” which the band had only played one previous time in September of 2025.
The next day, Spin Doctors frontman Chris Barron, a fellow Wetlands alum, supplied support duties and returned to the stage at the end of God Street Wine’s first set to lead the group through two cover debuts. First, he joined in for his band’s signature mega-hit “Two Princes” and then he helped them close the set with a choice take on Prince’s “Purple Rain.” Adding to the Wetlands vibe, Deep Banana Blackout guitarist Fuzz Sangiovanni, who came through the ranks at the club, made a surprise appearance on “Goodnight Gretchen” during God Street Wine’s first set and “Wall” and “Peanut Butter Jar” during the second half of the night. Another familiar face from the ’90s scene and close God Street Wine friend, saxophonist Craig Dreyer also augmented the group on “Water,” “Purple Rain,” “This Is Fine, Fido” and “Feel the Pressure” at various points throughout the event.
In addition to a new album, God Street Wine have also put together The Method Book, which discusses the unique process they employed to create the LP in detail.
