Pigeons Playing Ping Pong Debuts Covers At Drive-In Concerts In Auburn
By Scott Bernstein Aug 17, 2020 • 12:41 pm PDT
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong closed out a weekend of drive-in style concerts with Saturday and Sunday shows at the Finger Lakes Drive-In in Auburn, New York. The quartet worked cover debuts into both performances as they premiered their takes on Will Smith’s “Men In Black” on Saturday and Savage Garden’s “I Want You” on Sunday.
The performances in Auburn came after a Thursday night concert in Yarmouth, Massachusetts. Saturday’s show at the Finger Lakes Drive-In went heavy on staples including “Melting Lights,” “Fortress” and “Ocean Flows.” Pigeons jammed their own “Offshoot” into Will Smith’s theme song from the 1997 film Men In Black. Pigeons also dusted off covers of the Beatles’ “Drive My Car” and “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road” as part of a “Funk E Zekiel” medley in the second set. “Yo Soy Fiesta” served as the evening’s encore.
On Sunday, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong kicked off the festivities with classics “Henrietta,” “Whirled” and “Somethin’ For Ya” before jamming “Too Long” into “The Imperial March” from Star Wars. Next came “Overrun” and a version of “Whoopie” complete with “Chariots Of Fire” as the band continued to play off the drive-in theme with songs from movies. The final set of the weekend began with “Porcupine” and “Undivided” ahead of the debut “I Want You” cover. Savage Garden released their original on their eponymous debut in 1997.
“I Want You” bled into “Moonwalk” which was followed by the beloved “Burning Up My Time.” A run of “Lost In Line,” “The Liquid” and “Indiglo” gave way to a set-closing “F.U.” PPPP closed out the evening with a “Skipjack” encore. Next up for the band is a performance in Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park parking lot this Friday, August 21.
Setlists (via PPPP FB)
Saturday, August 15
Set One: Walk Outside, White Night, Sail On, Melting Lights > Offshoot > Men In Black* > Offshoot, Fortress, Water
Set Two: Move Like That, Funk E Zekiel > Drive My Car > Why Don’t We Do It In The Road > Drive My Car > Funk E Zekiel, Feelin’ Fine, Sunny Day, Paperboy, Ocean Flows
Encore: Yo Soy Fiesta
* First time played [Will Smith]
Sunday, August 16
Set One: Henrietta > Whirled, Somethin’ For Ya > Too Long > Imperial March > Too Long, Overrun, Whoopie > Chariots of Fire > Whoopie, Couldn’t We All
Set Two: Porcupine, Undivided > I Want You* > Moonwalk > Burning Up My Time > Lost In Line, The Liquid, Indiglo > F.U.
Encore: Skipjack
* First time played [Savage Garden]