Photos and review by: Jason Robey

CHARLOTTE, NC — The room began filling up long before show time, as fans of G. Love & Special Sauce packed in for their return to the Queen City on Thursday night. The stage was lined from one side to the other with paintings depicting the word “love,” as music played over the house system, bringing the energy to a simmer in anticipation. 

Ron Artis II opened the show with 45 minutes of blues guitar virtuosity and soulful vocals. Starting off relatively subdued with “Today’s Days” and “We’re Not Machines,” Artis kicked into overdrive with the break neck funk track “B-B-Be Yourself,” followed by the equally upbeat “Pick Me Up.” After breaking a string on his acoustic during the frantic strumming on the latter, he switched to electric for the rest of his set, giving him the opportunity to showcase his guitar skills even more. His performance was highlighted by a pair of songs in which he brought his daughters out one at a time to accompany him on vocals, leaving many in the crowd with tears from the beautiful renditions. 

G. Love and Special Sauce burst onto the stage with an early fan favorite “Sweet Sugar Mama,” followed quickly by “Soul-B-Que,” from 2020’s The Juice. G. Love, born Garrett Dutton, and company are currently touring in celebration of the 30th anniversary of their self-titled debut album. Several of the albums songs made their way into the evening’s jazzy, funk-filled setlist, including a few of the group’s well-known songs like “Cold Beverage,” “This Ain’t Livin’,” and “Garbage Man.”

G. Love’s rap-style vocals, coupled with his bluesy, jazz-influenced guitar playing makes for unique songwriting and energetic performances. With the rhythm section of Jim “Jimi Jazz” Prescott on stand-up bass and Jeffrey “Houseman” Clemens on drums, the trio’s sound is unlike anyone else. G. Love’s catalog of 13 studio albums and his habit of changing the setlist every night makes each show a one-of-a-kind, much to the audience’s delight.

The night’s encore began with Ron Artis II returning to the stage for a beautiful duet performance of G. Love’s “Rainbow,” before bringing the rest of the band back out for “Peace, Love, & Happiness.” The group rounded out the evening with another pair of their most popular songs, “Rodeo Clowns” and “Baby Got Sauce,” leaving the audience cheering for more.

Follow G. Love & Special Sauce on social media for upcoming tour dates.