Golden Gate Wingmen Make 2018 Debut At The Hamilton

Supergroup Golden Gate Wingmen began a spring tour at The Hamilton in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night. The quartet focused on Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan covers throughout the evening.

Golden Gate Wingmen features Furthur/JKB guitarist John Kadlecik, Dead & Company keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, RatDog/Primus drummer Jay Lane and Electric Beethoven bassist Reed Mathis. The band dug into Dylan’s “It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry” to kick off their first show of 2018. Kadlecik handled lead vocals on the opener, while Mathis stepped up to front “Brown-Eyed Women” next.

Wednesday’s show moved on with a stirring “When I Paint My Masterpiece” sung by John K. The Wingmen then paired the Dead’s “Dupree’s Diamond Blues” and Dylan’s “Ring Them Bells” ahead of the Built To Last chestnut “We Can Run.” Next, Mathis provided an interesting start to the evening’s improvisational highlight: a pairing of “Cassidy” and “Ripple.” Golden Gate Wingmen interprets “Ripple” with a bit of a swing and the segment spanned nearly 30 minutes.

Another impressive sequence saw the GGW fit John Lennon’s “Nobody Told Me” within George Harrison’s “Any Road.” The solo numbers by members of the Beatles were followed by a funky “Queen Jane Approximately” featuring lead bass and vocals by Mathis. Golden Gate Wingmen then served up an interpretation of “Help On The Way” > “Slipknot!” The foursome worked “Slipknot!” into a passionate “Wharf Rat” before closing the frame with “Just Like A Woman” and “Touch Of Grey.” For the encore, the four-piece bid the crowd farewell with The Who’s “Join Together.”

Golden Gate Wingmen continue their tour on Thursday night in Ardmore.

Listen to a recording of Wednesday’s show thanks to taper Alex Leary:

Setlist

Set: It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry, Brown-Eyed Women, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Dupree’s Diamond Blues/Ring Them Bells, We Can Run, Cassidy > Ripple, Sugaree, Any Road > Nobody Told Me > Any Road, Queen Jane Approximately, Help On The Way > Slipknot!, Wharf Rat > Just Like A Woman > Touch Of Grey

Encore: Join Together