Vulfpeck Returns With Schvitz Set At Levitate Festival

Vulfpeck returned to the stage for the first time since 2019 on Friday at the Levitate Music & Arts Festival in Marshfield, Massachusetts. The funk outfit marked the occasion by dressing for a schvitz, a Yiddish bath, with the band’s Theo Katzman getting into a tub full of ice toward the end of the set.

Vulfpeck — Katzman, Jack Stratton, Woody Goss and Joe Dart along with Antwaun Stanley, Cory Wong and Joey Dosik — kicked off the set with “1612” from their 2014 EP Fugue State before live debuting “3 On E,” led by Stanley, off their most recent LP, 2020’s The Joy of Music, the Job of Real Estate. “Funky Duck” and the fiery “Daddy, He Got A Tesla” followed before the band played five songs in a row from their 2018 album, Hill Climber, with “Darwin Derby,” “Lonely Town,” “Soft Parade,” “Lost My Treble Long Ago” and “Disco Ulysses.”

After the lone song, “Running Away,” from 2017’s Mr. Finish Line, Vulf got back to newer material with the live debut of “LAX,” which boasted some stellar sex stylings from Dosik. The catchy “Back Pocket” followed before guitarist Cory Wong hit the funky opening guitar to his namesake song. The band then played “Radio Shack” for the first time followed by “Wait For The Moment” off the 2013 EP My First Car. A string of favorites followed in “Animal Sprits,” “Beastly” and “Christmas In L.A.”

Katzman addressed the audience before “Christmas In L.A.,” “I know it’s been a challenging few years to say the least, know what I mean? We all went through a lot of shit…but we have all made it here tonight and we are going to continue living this life and loving each other no matter what happens. You feel me?” Theo then delivered a funny vamp about water as the Levitate crew filled the ice bath. “I know its the middle of July but we thought we’d bring a little Christmas to Massachusetts,” he continued. “You can’t get any Christmans without some ice baby!” The band then dropped into the Thrill Of The Arts favorite.

Next, Katzman jumped out from behind the kit and hopped into the ice tub. Theo would sing while in the ice bath and got the crowd involved as he usually does on “Christmas In L.A.” and also acknowledged a fan with a “Christmas In MA” sign. Drummer Mike Shea then hopped on the kit and the song ramped back up as Katzman stayed in the bath and sang. It’s impressive. Theo remained in the bath while bassits Joe Dart drove the band through one of his signature songs, “Dean Town,” to close the wild sequence and the set. Stay tuned for a full report from Levitate 2022 from JamBase contributor Brian Lasky.

Watch the “Christmas In MA” segment and more in full-show video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkbqiTZnNQg