Eufórquestra & The Burroughs 10.28.17

Aggie Theatre
Fort Collins, CO

Words & photos by Nicholas Stock (Fat Guerilla Productions)

Every year as the leaves turn and fall, Eufórquestra makes a pilgrimage to The Aggie. An inauspicious box smack dab in the Choice City, the Aggie has suffered the trials and tribulations of being a boozy music venue in a college town. With the transfer of the day to day management the Aggie has emerged as a solid place to see a show. Having migrated to Fort Collins from Iowa City, Eufórquestra has spent many nights working the crowd at the Aggie. This show was a special one with both bands celebrating Halloween very differently. The Burroughs hail from Greeley, Colorado and this year they opted to perform the music of Space Jam.

The Burroughs arrived onstage adorned in the full regalia of the Looney Toons team ready to take the court in the seminal film Space Jam. They appropriately opened with the “Space Jam Theme” featuring both Johnny Burroughs and drummer Mary Claxton ripping it up on vocals. At first I was a little perplexed by their schtick, but as the show rolled it became obvious that this band has some serious chops. After a short but spot on version of Cheech and Chong’s “Basketball Jones," they wove in some originals. A new track entitled “Solid Gold” was a funky disco tune featuring the amazing horn section consisting of Alec Bell on trumpet, Hayden Farr on Baritone Sax and Briana Harris on Alto. “Jungle Boogie” was a highlight as was the explosive love song “You Are My Joy.” They invited local phenom Grace Kush who is just 13 to join in on the Seal-sung version of Steve Miller’s “Fly Like An Eagle.” They continued the spooky theme with covers of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstitious” and the “Ghostbusters Theme.” They gave the MonStars a chance with a perfect take on “Hit ‘em High” which segued nicely into a “Monster Mash” jam. They wrapped up the whole shebang the same way the film did, with “I Believe I Can Fly.” After this show most in the room believed they too could in fact fly.

Eufórquestra never disappoints, especially when playing to their adopted hometown crowd. This night was billed as Eufórquestra performs Led Zeppelin. With the departure of long time drummer Craig Babineau, Eufórquestra has called upon Jeff Peterson, best known for his work with Night Phoenix aka Roster McCabe and Turbo Suit. Now, a lot of times when bands announce a cover show, they sprinkle in originals or limit the covers to their second set. Eufórquestra came out from the start blasting the tunes of the greatest rock and roll band to ever take any stage. Sax player Austin Zalatel emerged adorned in a massive blonde wig a la Robert Plant. His vocals on “Song Remains The Same” left people wondering if Eufórquestra had bit off more than they could chew. The materialization of powerhouse singer Kim Dawson put those fears to rest.

Dawson set the stage on fire during an Earth-shattering “Immigrant Song.” The set lasted just under two hours and represented the entire catalog of Zeppelin quite nicely. The members of Eufórquestra would get chances on the mic including a solid rendition of "Hey Hey What Can I Do?" sung by Mike Tallman. The show really took on speed around “The Ocean” which segued beautifully into a deep and dark “No Quarter.” Peterson got a chance to sing on a transcendental “Black Dog” that got everyone moving. The “Moby Dick” sandwich was another high in a show full of peaks. “Fool In The Rain” was a nice touch as well. They closed the set with a perfectly positioned “Kashmir.” Dawson returned to the mic for the encore with an unbelievable “Whole Lotta Love.” Taking on the music of Led Zeppelin is no easy feat. There are a lot of horrible Zeppelin covers spattered all over the internet. Eufórquestra took their time to learn the music and they employed ringer Kim Dawson to fill the immense shoes of Robert Plant on vocals. They did it right. My hope is that we continue to see some of these songs sprinkled into future shows. Eufórquestra and Zeppelin is a combo I can certainly get behind.

www.euforquestra.com

www.theburroughssoul.com

Setlist: Song Remains The Same, Immigrant Song, Misty Mountain Hop, Dyer Maker> Babe I’m Gonna Leave You> Hey Hey What Can I Do?, Trampled Under Foot, The Ocean> No Quarter, Black Dog> Moby Dick> Rock & Roll> Moby Dick, Dazed & Confused, Fool In The Rain, What Is & What Should Never Be, Kashmir

Encore: Whole Lotta Love