On Saturday, May 8th, Ripe took it’s tour in support of their newest LP, ‘Bright Blues, to their home city of Boston, to a sold-out crowd of 5000 that packed MGM Fenway.
Before Ripe even took the stage, fans were delighted by the likes of two other must-see live acts. Fronted by the soulful vocals of Tema Seigel, the Boston-based Couch kicked things off by blending the likes of pop, funk, and a little R&B. Next was Melt, who formed in NYC in 2017, and a band who is now on my radar for when they come through Boston again. Blending a bit of psychedelic pop with some heart and soul, these folks knew how to rock and keep the party going.
The crowd was pretty amped up by the time Ripe took the stage. Ripe, who’s been at it since playing house shows in Brighton from their Berklee College of Music days in 2011, blends pop, funk, and very dancey grooves into a rocking show. The band is full of its trademark catchy hooks, great melodies, and horn lines that are still stuck in my head days later.
The band fittingly kicked things off with ‘Get Over’, which also opens up their newest LP. It was clear from the beginning that this hometown crowd had already learned the words to even the newest songs, singing along to the chorus from the very start. Next was a personal favorite, ‘Flipside’, from their 2018 LP ‘Joy in the Wild Unknown’, which promised the crowd they’d be getting a good mix of new stuff and older classics.
It was clear from the very start that this was going to be an emotional night for the band. Ripe has worked tirelessly for years to get to this point, with lead singer Robbie Wulfsohn even stating he recognized many faces in the sold-out crowd. Many times through the night, as each song ended, Robbie would get a bit choked up by just how loud the crowd was getting, appreciating and soaking in each and every moment.
The band worked through new stuff and classics such as ‘Talk to the Moon’, ‘Passerby’, and even a cover of ‘Lola’ by the Kinks before eventually ending the main set with ‘Settling’, a single that they dropped last year.
Of course, the band came back out one last time to a delighted, and sometimes deafeningly loud, crowd. They closed out the night with ‘Young Tom Rose’, the Pink Floyd classic ‘Another Brick in the Wall, Pt 2’ and the base-driven, ever-rocking ‘Little Lighter’.
Ripe in Boston is something quite special, and I can’t wait until they come through again.
Listen to Ripe here!
Catch Ripe on tour here!
PHOTO GALLERY BY Nicholas Norton
IG: @nicholasnortonphotography
