George Porter Jr.

This show was outdoors in a park in Falls Church, VA, not indoors at the Lincoln Theatre, on a very pleasant Saturday late afternoon. There was a good crowd, but it was well spread out so that even standing at the front of the stage I never felt crowded. The music was as good as ever, and I've seen George many times at festivals and clubs. He brought out some new tunes from a forthcoming instrumental album, and they demonstrated that he and the band are more than funk players. The Running Pardners are all very good musicians, and they can get jazzy and wail away on top of interesting changes. They also brought back old numbers dating back to his Meters days, and they still sound fresh with some new twists.