Pigeons Playing Ping Pong Melt the Ice at The Brooklyn Bowl in Philly

Philadelphia, PA – I had two questions tonight: Is it this cold in space? Who is this band called “Pigeons Playing Ping Pong”?

The buzz was in the air as we approached the Brooklyn Bowl in Philadelphia on Saturday night, as temperatures plummeted to near zero with wind chill. I had listened to some of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong music by chance and wanted to see more. I had heard the band’s live shows were incredible. Now I can confirm, they are!

The Brooklyn Bowl is a newer concept in Philly, melding a lush bowling facility along with an expansive music venue. This one opened in November 2021, as a converted factory building with wonderful architecture and sharp acoustics.

We started the night with Dogs in a Pile, this jazz fusion, rock, psychedelia, jazz fusion all members in their 20’s, but their age is irrelevant because their musicianship is off the charts, these guys are tight, dreamy, and innovative in their musical style.

Dogs have a deep jazz, funk and Grateful Dead vibe with cosmic flowing solos and a backbeat and bass that just keeps the music flowing. The band has a huge following, I realized talking with some of the fans who had traveled 2-3 hours from northern NY and Jersey to see both bands.

The lead singer Jimmy Law, drummer Joey Babick, keyboardist Jeremy Kaplan, and bassist Sam Lucid are absolutely worth catching live and these young men are only getting better. They had great rapport with the audience and were an awesome appetizer with amazing energy to lead into them main course. 

The stage was refitted for Pigeons, who came on about 9:30pm and rocked out for over a two-hour set to hungry but familiar fans. This psychedelic electric funk band consists of: Greg Ormont – Vocals, Guitar; Jeremy Schon – Guitar, Vocals; Ben Carrey – Bass, Vocals; and Alex Petropulos – techo-drum-magic.

They have unleashed songs like “High as Five”, “Havana” and “Snake Eyes” from Presto, their newest album and most sophisticated to date. This quartet reminds me of a mix of Grateful Dead and Phish on steroids, with a little jazz and funk mixed in. They played all original music and included a few covers like Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire” and a cut from Pink Floyd ‘s “The Wall”, done flawlessly.

Fans both young and old dressed in tie-dye and bell bottoms packed the house, while whiffs of cannabis filled the air. Some folks sprinkled with glitter broke out in their self-contained cosmic circles with the type of dancing only seen at Dead-Phish concerts. It all brought me back to my high school days. 

This is a band that likes to have fun and emit a vibe that is exciting, calming, inspirational, and enthusiastic. The audience “heads” embraced the vibe and threw it right back on stage. With over a thousand shows and touring over 44 states, Pigeons have amassed quite a following with their lyrics and heart-pounding music. They continue to bring a sense of “everything will be alright as long as we can connect with music”.

PHOTO GALLERY

Show Date: January 15, 2022