Photos and review by: Jason Robey
CHARLOTTE, NC — Anytime Andy Frasco plays in Charlotte, his fans pack the venue, and Wednesday was no exception. With an exuberant personality that ignites energy all around him, everyone in the crowd talks about him like they’re best friends. Between his podcast and extensive touring, Frasco has made a rock star name for himself in the past few years.
The show kicked off with a 45-minute set by Charlotte-based Cosmic Collective. The aptly named group took the audience on a 45-minute, mostly instrumental jazz and funk-inspired journey. The popular group had the venue nearly full before they even kicked into the first chords of their intro piece, “Libraries of the Universe.” The sunglasses-clad band continued through a list of experimental-yet-highly-danceable songs, before closing with the catchy “Elron.”
Andy Frasco and the U.N. took the stage with a raucous version of “Into the Blue” from their latest album Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Frasco showed off his new keyboard set up, with a mechanical lid that he could elevate throughout the evening, as he often jumps on top of it to dance. Frasco and his band kept the show fun, energetic, and unpredictable for the evening. At one point, he directed the band members to switch instruments mid-song, which led him to play bass, while the other members moved around. Even with the loose nature of their playing, the band still managed to keep the music flowing well.
Songs like “Today’s My Birthday and the Cake Is On Fire” and “Puff Break” kept the crowd singing along with smiling and smirking faces. At one point, Frasco read a note that was passed to him, telling him of a retirement community that came out in force to party with him. As they danced and cheered, he dedicated his song “Mature as Fuck” to them.
The first of two guest appearances for the night was Skip from the act Skip’lo, who Andy recently toured with, for “It’s Been a Struggle.” Later in the show, Of Good Nature’s David Hamilton, Jr., joined the band onstage to share a drum kit with Andy’s drummer. The impressive duo switched sides of the kit a couple times without missing a beat. The main set came to a peak with a stomping sing-along run through of “Dancin’ Around My Grave.” Frasco brought another suprise to the crowd with a cover of My Chemical Romance’s “Teenagers” to start the encore. The evening came to a close with the uplifting “Keep On Keepin’ On,” which included a speech from Frasco about making the most of life and once again shouting out to the retirement community, still dancing and having the time of their lives.