“What’s the name of the band?” “Ripe!”
At the end of every Ripe show, lead singer Robbie Wulfsohn shouts that question out to the crowd, just in case you didn’t remember who you were there to see. I’m guessing it’s a throwback to when Ripe was an unknown opening band trying to build a fan base.
Well, that little band out of Boston just sold out two nights at Webster Hall in NYC, and are heading into two more sold out nights at the House of Blues in Boston this weekend!
Ripe sold out 2 nights in NYC, and are on their way to 2 more sold out shows in Boston this weekend!
If you follow my blog, I’ve told you before to go check out Ripe. They are one of the most high energy bands I have seen live. Plus, their music is REALLY good! I think I’m up to my fifth of sixth time seeing them, and I can’t wait to see them again. You can read about the last time I saw them here.
Ripe has a couple of new singles out and are out on tour this winter. However, there was no Philadelphia stop this go around. So, we headed up to NYC instead. Keep reading to find out about Ripe’s sold out 2-night stand!
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THE VENUE
This is my second trip to Webster Hall. My first show there was Blue October back in December. You can read more about Webster Hall in that blog post here.
Now that I’ve been there twice, I have a couple of additional tips for you.
Tip #1: The first night of the Ripe shows we were able to get the rail again in almost the exact same spot we saw Blue October. But on N2, we decided to go up to the balcony. We walked into the show shortly after the doors opened, and were able to get a prime spot dead center behind the sound board. The sound was much better up there and it wasn’t as crowded. Plus, it was a prime spot for snagging a set list.
If you watch the show from the balcony, there are bathrooms and a bar just steps away as well.
Tip #2: If you are looking to have some food and drinks before the show, check out Kingston Hall. Their happy hour features buy 1 get 1 free beer, well drinks and prosecco. Their jerk chicken wings are amazing!
Tip #3: If you are hungry after the show, check out the Brazen Fox. Their kitchen is open until 2 a.m., so it’s a great place to grab some munchies after the show.
THE SHOWS
PHONY PPL
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Phony Ppl are based out of Brooklyn. The band formed in 2010 and is made up of Elbee Thrie (vocals), Elijah Rawk (guitar), Matt “Maffyuu”Byas (drums), Aja Grant (keyboard) and Bari Bass (bass guitar).
The members of the band met in high school and released their first album – Phonyland – in 2012. That was followed by Yesterday’s Tomorrow in 2015. Their most recent album – mo-za-ik – came out in 2019.
All of the members of the band come from musical roots and are talented musicians individually. Their style of music is a little bit of hip hop, jazz, blues, reggae, rap and whatever else they decide to throw in.
THE PERFORMANCE
Phony Ppl was the opener for the first of the two shows. While I had never heard of the band, I was excited to see them after hearing a few people in line around us before the show say that they were there specifically to see Phony Ppl.
Phony Ppl seemed to have a big group of followers at the Friday night show.
The band are definitely great performers. Bass player Bari Bass is particularly fun and entertaining on stage. I think where I struggled with them, is that it is very hard to figure out what they are about. This song is a perfect example. It has a lot of soul to it, but then it turns into a reggae beat before slowing back down.
There were clearly a lot of Phony Ppl fans in the crowd though, and they were having a great time. With plenty of energy and great interaction with their fans, Phony Ppl did a great job of warming up the crowd for Ripe.
Phony Ppl’s music really isn’t my thing, but I thought they had great energy and did a good job warming up the crowd!
Phony Ppl does not currently have any future shows on listed on their website, but be sure to follow them to stay up to date!
THE NEW RESPECTS
ABOUT THE ARTIST
The New Respects are out of Nashville. The band is a family affair for sure. Twins Lexi Fitzgerald (bass guitar) and Zandy Fitzgerald (guitar) are joined by their brother Darius Fitzgerald (drummer) and cousin Jasmine Mullen (vocals).
The New Respects are pretty new on the music scene. They released their EP – Here Comes Trouble – in 2017, followed by their first full length album – Before The Sun Goes Down – in 2018.
THE PERFORMANCE
The New Respects were the opener for the second night of shows. I really enjoyed them. To me, their music was a much better fit with Ripe. In fact, the horn section from Ripe joined them on this one:
Mullen has a fantastic voice, and the rest of the band on back-up vocals blend together perfectly. I found the band’s music a lot of fun and something that would appeal to a lot of people.
Zandy Fitzgerald was really impressive on the guitar! All four members were great musicians.
Before wrapping up their set, it was Lexi and Zandy’s birthday, so the whole crowd joined in to sing “Happy Birthday” to them. The New Respects are a young and talented band with a lot of potential. I hope to see them again soon!
I really enjoyed The New Respects and look forward to seeing them again soon.
The New Respects will be opening for Ripe again on the second night of their 2 night stand in Boston at the House of Blues. Be sure to check out their website for more information.
RIPE
ABOUT THE ARTIST
You can read more about Ripe in the article that I linked above. Since I wrote that, Ripe has released a couple of new singles as well as an extensive North American tour. And as I mentioned in my last post, all the guys in Ripe are just really nice guys! They hung out after both shows and were very gracious and talked to all of their fans.
As someone who has been following Ripe for a few years now, it was great to see this sign when we walked up to the venue Friday night!
THE SHOWS
I’ve seen some two and even three night stands for a couple of artists. In those cases, they were artists – Dave Matthews Band and The Cure – that had been around for decades and have a very extensive catalog of music. Ripe hasn’t been around a long time and doesn’t have a very big catalog yet, so I wasn’t sure how it was going to be seeing them two nights.
There were a lot of repeats both nights, which was to be expected. But, they did change some things up, including the covers that they played each night. In the end, both shows were so much fun, that it didn’t matter if there were repeats!
Every time I see Ripe, it’s like a big dance party all night!
On the first night, Ripe didn’t take the stage until around 10:15 p.m. They immediately kicked off the night with lots of energy, including “Beta Male”.
The first night featured Ripe covering two songs in addition to their originals. At the beginning of the show they covered Lorde’s “Royals”, which I loved. Towards the end of the show, they covered The Who’s “Who Are You?”, which I loved even more!
Night 1 also featured an “old” Ripe favorite – “Caralee” – done in a little different arrangement. I think I need some time for the new arrangement to grow on me. I love the original so much, that the new one was a little bit strange for me.
The first night ended with Ripe playing “Goon Squad” which featured a mash up tribute to New York – with bits of Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” and the classic “New York, New York”. Definitely one of the highlights of the show!
Some cool lighting effects from our spot on the floor towards the end of the N1 show.
If I had to pick a favorite show between the first and second nights, I think I would go with N2. There was no doubt that Ripe was on fire both nights, but I thought the energy level cranked up another notch on N2. From the opening song “Talk To The Moon” to their cover of the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe”, the show was just pure fun!
Ripe having a good time!
Ripe has always been great live, but I feel like they are really coming into their own. The band is tight and always sounds well rehearsed. They do a great job of following each other musically. Robbie’s voice is always on point, and if you haven’t paid attention to Jon Becker on the guitar during a show, do it! We were right in front of him on the first night and he was on fire!
The guys on guitar are always on point!
But my favorite thing about Ripe is still how humble these guys are. You can tell that they were honestly blown away by the fact that they had sold out two nights in NYC. For them to look out at the crowd jumping, dancing and singing to their music, had to be mind blowing.
You could tell that all the guys in the band were blown away by the response from the crowd on both nights.
I honestly only have one criticism of the show, and it really had nothing to do with the band. On the first night, we stood on the rail in front of Jon Becker. In addition to the photographers that always get to hang out in the area between the rail and the stage, there were several other people there. Most were hanging to the side and being very conscious not to get in the way.
However, there was one guy that got pretty annoying during the show. He appeared to be a super fan – wearing and holding the neon green headbands that the “Goon Squad Crew” (Ripe’s fan group name) wear. It was almost like he was the “hype guy” – walking up and back in front of the stage, pointing and singing to the band, waving his headband over his head. I would have been fine with him if he would have hung out on a side, but the constant going back and forth and standing in front of me and others was a bit too much. If Ripe gives him special privileges to be there during shows, I hope they take him aside and ask him to be a little more conscious of those he is in front of during the show.
Being in the balcony gave us cool views like this, better sound, and no distracting “hype guy” in front of us.
Set List N2 (click on any title to purchase the song on Amazon): Talk To The Moon, Little Lighter, Stanky, Young Tom Rose, Wannabe, Five In The Morning, Makin Ice, Follow Through, Backup, Brother Sky, Hey Hello, Beta Male, Flipside, Goon Squad, Pretty Dirty Encore 1: First Time Feeling, Downward Encore 2: Ex-Life
Sometimes, standing behind the sound board has its advantages…..
…. like getting a set list that a couple of the guys sign for you after the show!
Ripe is touring North America throughout April. Check out their website for upcoming tour dates. They are also playing the Bottle Rock Festival in May and they are opening for Dispatch at Red Rocks in July! And guess who will be at that Red Rocks show???? I can’t wait!
Have you seen Ripe before? If so, what did you think? Let us know! Comment below or e-mail me at tips2livebywriter@gmail.com.
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