When G. Love & Special Sauce paid The Marquis a visit earlier this month in Park City — just a few days shy of when the band played a sold-out State Room in Salt Lake City a year ago — it meant plenty of sweet nostalgia. It’s somehow been a full 20 years since the Philadelphia band released Lemonade and an anniversary of sorts was in order: they dutifully unloaded many of those hits on us, tunes like “Can’t Go Back to Jersey” and “Rainbow,” inevitably turning them into instant crowd sing alongs. Immediately, we locked in and a good time was had.
Memories aside, though, it was also a long opportunity to witness a band that feels like it’s at the full height of its powers. Sure, they’ve had plenty of practice by constantly being on the road and G. Love has never stopped releasing music (it’s doubtful he ever will). There was just so damn much packed into their set that still felt too short. Yes, there was hip hop and rap. There was smooth blues guitar (the fearless and talented bandleader) where he sometimes used a microphone as a slide on his strings. Add easy harmonica solos and Jimi Jazz keeping pace and well, what more do you need?
Their concert was 100% worth the price of admission. If you missed out, that’s on you. Just know it made for a fine night to hightail it to the mountains and accidentally stay up way too late in the middle of the week soaking in a near 20-song set. Call it a hunch, but chances are they’ll be even better the next time they come round. We’ll see next year. Last but never least, “Baby’s Got Sauce” and “Cold Beverage” will never, ever get old. Both sound beautiful in an encore.
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