Melvin Seals & JGB Welcome Ron Holloway In Washington D.C.

Saxophonist Ron Holloway was ‘s special guest on Wednesday at The Hamilton in Washington D.C. Holloway joined the longtime Jerry Garcia Band keyboardist and his band for the entire show last night.

The concert came as part of The Jerry Garcia Family and Rex Foundation’s second annual Daze Between celebration honoring the legacy of the late Grateful Dead guitarist. Seals, Holloway, guitarist John Kadlecik, bassist John-Paul McLean and drummer Jeremy Hoenig opened their first of two sets with Motown classics “I Second That Emotion” and “The Way You Do The Things You Do” before working through Garcia’s “Rhapsody In Red.”

Holloway shined on the King Curtis instrumental “Memphis Soul Stew” that came next. The ensemble then delivered a +14-minute “Mississippi Moon” and paired “Tore Up Over You” and “Don’t Let Go.” Last night’s first set concluded with a hard-driving “Going Down The Road Feelin’ Bad.”

The saxophonist and local resident was also on hand for a second set loaded with gems from Garcia’s solo repertoire. Up first was a take on “In The Midnight Hour” before the five musicians took on Bob Dylan’s “It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry” and “Simple Twist Of Fate.” Next up was “Dear Prudence” by The Beatles featuring an impressive call-and-response segment from Holloway and Kadlecik. It was then back to the Dylan songbook for “Tangled Up In Blue.” Melvin Seals & JGB with Ron Holloway went on to end the evening with crowd-pleasing renditions of Charles Johnson’s “My Sisters & Brothers” and Solomon Burke’s “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love.”

Melvin Seals & JGB play The Caverns in Pelham, Tennessee on Sunday as part of the Daze Between series. A livestream is available via Mandolin. Listen to an audience recording of last night’s show taped by Alex Leary below:

Setlist

Set One: I Second That Emotion, The Way You Do The Things You Do, Rhapsody In Red, Memphis Soul Stew, Mississippi Moon, Tore Up Over You, Don’t Let Go, Going Down The Road Feelin’ Bad

Set Two: In The Midnight Hour, It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry, Simple Twist Of Fate, Dear Prudence, Tangled Up In Blue, My Sisters & Brothers, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love

Entire Show With Ron Holloway On Sax