Domefest 2025: A Weekend of Flocktacular Vibes & Unforgettable Jams

For fans of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Domefest isn’t just a music festival, it’s a family reunion. The moment you step into the grounds, you feel the hum of anticipation. Tie-dye tapestries ripple in the breeze, familiar faces embrace after months or years apart, and the main stage stands like a beacon, ready to host three nights of legendary jams.

This year’s Domefest, set against the breathtaking backdrop of West Virginia’s New River Gorge at ACE Adventure Resort, delivered on every front — not just with the band’s high-energy, unpredictable setlists, but with the way each day unfolded like a chapter in a bigger story. From Thursday’s punchy warm welcome to Saturday’s euphoric finale, Pigeons reminded The Flock why Domefest holds such a singular place in the jam scene.

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong are masters at hypnotizing a crowd. Their cyclical jams loop and build like trance house — luring you into a groove, locking you there, and then bending the energy until you lose track of time. Domefest is the most powerful version of that portal, a place where the band can manifest and manipulate the reality of the crowd in front of them. Under their iconic flashing lights and psychedelic sounds, the line between band and audience blurs into one shared frequency.

From the perfectly mild weather to the cleanest festival grounds many attendees had ever seen, Domefest 2025 felt charmed from start to finish. The shuttle system ran smoothly, the scenery was jaw-dropping, and The Flock proved once again they’re one of the most welcoming, joyful fan communities in live music. The subtle addition of electronic music was also well received thanks to Joe Hertler, Eli Winderman and 5AM Trio. But beyond the logistics, Domefest catered as always to connection – between friends, strangers, and a band and its crowd in their favorite portal.

If Domefest is a reunion, then 2025 was the year everyone came home.

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Thursday, August 7: Wild & Wonderful

With a two-year gap since the last Domefest, many in the crowd predicted a “Too Long” opener. Instead, PPPP subverted expectations with a surprise “Zydeko” kick-off, before pivoting into “Too Long” for the payoff. From there, the night stretched into peaks of surprise and nostalgia: a tight, vocally-driven Daft Punk “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” cover with Greg Ormont on vox; the heartfelt retro singalong debut of “Montreal”; and a dark, emotionally charged “Sunny Day” with Eli Winderman on keys. And, in a nod to the festival’s new West Virginia home, the band broke into a rousing “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” rewritten in true Flock fashion with the lyric twist up, “Take Me Dome.”

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Friday, August 8: Mystic & Magical

The second night deepened the trance. Domefest’s “Mystic & Magical” theme matched the set’s flow: exploratory jams, unexpected turns, and moments that felt steered by the pulsating portal between the crowd and the band. The funk-driven debut of “Go With It” had the crowd bouncing, followed by a soaring, emotional “Poseidon” elevated by Brian Moss of Spafford on guitar. Mid-set, Nathan Shulkin (Natalie Brooke) joined on percussion for a percussive trilogy — “Move Like That,” “Twitch,” and “Julia” — each building into high-energy climaxes that felt almost ritualistic under the full moon.

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Saturday, August 9: Sparkly & Surreal

By Saturday, ACE Adventure Resort felt like home and the band played like they truly missed throwing their annual party (because they did). Much of the first set featured Nathan Shulkin on percussion alongside Alex Petropulos, giving the grooves an extra heartbeat. The Turnstile cover “Seein’ Stars” crackled with punk energy before melting into horn-and-keyboard heavy funk with Big Blitz and Natalie Brooke on “The Hop” and “F.U.”

Greg surprised fans by pulling out a harmonica for “The Liquid,” and the crowd roared as they slipped into a reimagined cover of Collective Soul’s “Shine,” changing the lyric to “Dome, come and let your light shine down.” Big Blitz joined the band onstage for the live horn debut on “Whoopie” before the gritty future funk debut of “Blue Light” transitioned the weekend’s final celebratory climb in “Horizon.” When the last notes faded, the band closed the loop, literally, by finishing the chorus of “Zydeko” from Thursday’s opener.

But the night wasn’t over. The Domefest All-Stars late-night set transformed the stage into a full-blown funk summit — a massive supergroup of Domefest alumni and current performers trading solos under the glow of the full moon. The stage filled up with a rotating cast featuring Scrambled Greg (PPPP), Nick MacDaniels (Big Something), Jeremy Schon (PPPP), Andrew Pickel (Dizgo), Natalie Brooke, Jake Evatt (Dizgo), Jacob Nadeau (Natalie Brooke), Nathan Shulkin (Natalie Brooke), Justin Clark (Dizgo), Alex Petropulos (PPPP), Taylor Jamison (Solar Circuit), Joe Hertler, Becca LeVan (Solar Circuit) and the horn trio of Lucas Ciesielski (Big Blitz), Mason Ciesielski (Big Blitz) and Caleb Elzinga (Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers) for a series of choice covers to end the festival on a high note.

The Domefest All-Stars @ Domefest 2025 (New River Gorge, WV): Jungle Boogie [1] Disco Inferno [2] Sledgehammer [3] What’s the Use? [4] Have a Cigar [5] Love Generator [6] What’s Going On [7] Take Me To The River [8]

Notes: [1] Scrambled Greg (PPPP) on vocals and guitar, Nick MacDaniels (Big Something) on guitar and vocals, Jeremy Schon (PPPP) on guitar, Andrew Pickel (Dizgo) on guitar, Natalie Brooke on keys and vocals, Jake Evatt (Dizgo) on keys, Jacob Nadeau (Natalie Brooke) on bass, Nathan Shulkin (Natalie Brooke) on drums, Lucas Ciesielski (Big Blitz) on saxophone, Mason Ciesielski (Big Blitz) on saxophone, Caleb Elzinga (Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers) on saxophone, Justin Clark (Dizgo) on percussion, Alex Petropulos (PPPP) on percussion

[2] Nick MacDaniels on vocals and guitar, Joe Hertler on vocals, Jeremy Schon on guitar, Natalie Brooke on keys and vocals, Jacob Nadeau on bass, Alex Petropulos on drums, Big Blitz and Caleb Elzinga on horns, Justin Clark on percussion

[3] w/ Superstition tease; Nick MacDaniels on vocals and guitar, Greg Ormont on vocals and guitar, Jeremy Schon on guitar, Natalie Brooke on keys and vocals, Jake Evatt on keys and vocals, Jacob Nadeau on bass, Alex Petropulos on drums, Big Blitz and Caleb Elzinga on horns, Nate Shulkin on percussion

[4] Nick MacDaniels on vocals and guitar, Jeremy Schon on guitar, Luke Walker (Natalie Brooke) on guitar, Natalie Brooke on keys, Ben Carey (PPPP) on bass, Alex Petropulos on drums, Jake Evatt on keys

[5] Greg Ormont on vocals and guitar, Jeremy Schon on guitar, Andrew Pickel on guitar, Luke Walker on guitar, Natalie Brooke on keys, Jake Evatt on keys and vocals, Ben Carrey on bass, Alex Petropulos on drums, Justin Clark on percussion, Nate Shulkin on percussion

[6] Nick MacDaniels on vocals and guitar, Becca LeVan (Solar Circuit) on keys and vocals, Jeremy Schon on guitar, Luke Walker on guitar, Taylor Jamison on bass, Alex Petropulos on drums, Justin Clark on percussion, Nate Shulkin on percussion

[7] Joe Hertler on vocals, Greg Ormont on vocals and guitar, Jeremy Schon on guitar and vocals, Nick MacDaniels on guitar, Andrew Pickel on guitar and vocals, Jake Evatt on keys and vocals, Ben Carrey on bass, Alex Petropulos on drums, Nathan Shulkin on percussion

[8] Nick MacDaniels on vocals and guitar, Greg Ormont on guitar and vocals, Ryan Hoger (Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers) on guitar, Natalie Brooke on keys and vocals, Ben Carrey on bass and vocals, Nathan Shulkin on drums, Jake Evatt on keys, Big Blitz and Caleb Elzinga on horns, Alex Petropulos on percussion