Ultraviolet Hippopotamus 10.7.11

Words & Photos By Shea Haddad (facebook.com/EyesMindPhotography)

The Mitten’s own UV Hippo kicked off their fall tour with a two-night run in the front room at The Intersection in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It had been quite a few months since I had been to a Hippo show, and being that it was only the third show I’d seen since guitarist Sam Guidry left the band, I was interested to see them play.

Just like any other Michigan Hippo show, the whole Grand Rapids crew, along with some Fort Wayne fans, got together to have a good time. The Section was full of friends and family catching up, partying, and doing some good ole’ fashioned crushing. Once the music started, the front room turned into a full-blown dance party.

The first set consisted of mostly songs off of their newest album, Square Pegs Round Holes. The jams were clean, on point, and explosive. Everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves, especially the band members! One thing that I’ve always appreciated about Hippo shows is how pumped the band is to be playing for a crowd. Nothing beats bassist Brian Samuels’ smiling face and playful demeanor during a great song. Hippo’s happiness came into full effect during the closing of the first set when they covered Pink Floyd’s “Fearless” and everybody in the crowd sang along.

The second set was equally exciting, including some all-time favorite tunes such as “North Coast”. What’s great about this band is that the moment you think a jam is about to slow down, they pick it right back up, and the crowd keeps on dancing. This show was definitely a crowd pleaser as everybody walked out with a smile on their face, ready to continue on to the after party. I’m sure I can speak for the rest of the Michigan crowd when I say that I look forward to their next local show, which is at Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo on the 27th of this month. Hippo sings it themselves, theirs is the kind of music that will never let you sleep, and they will sure keep you on your dancing feet!

www.uvhippomusic.com

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