The Sunday of Labor Day weekend might be the best day to attend a concert, in my opinion. There is no fear or stress of work the next day, no worry of how late the show might go. You just get to enjoy! So when Lake Street Dive announced their show in Akron on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, I knew I’d be there.
The Akron Civic Theater is one of the most underrated concert venues in Northeast Ohio. There is truly no bad seat in the room, and the entire room is mesmerizing to be in. The ceiling looks like the night sky, and the pillars on the side of the stage are so detailed that it feels like you’re in a museum space. Such an artistic setting was the perfect venue for a group as funky and fun as Lake Street Dive.
This stretch of shows is part of their final leg of tour promoting their most recent album ‘Good Together,’ which was released in 2024 and was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Group album at the Grammys. While they were nominated in the pop category, this group’s sound truly defies genre and spans from pop, to soul, to funk, and everything in between!
As a group with such a unique sound, it can be hard to find an opener that matches your vibe and energy, but Lake Street Dive found the perfect one. Penelope Road is a band from Atlanta, Georgia, and features five incredibly talented musicians. Their sound was smooth, almost jazz-like, but also had some pop elements that perfectly matched the energy of a Lake Street Dive show. While listening to their set, I opened Spotify and saved their 2024 self-titled EP to my library so I can remind myself to dive in deeper later. Their sound is both relaxing and engaging, keeping the audience interested. They’re an opening band tonight, but destined for bigger stages in the not-so-distant future.
The band opened up with the title track off ‘Good Together,’ immediately showcasing how balanced and practiced their vocals are. Every member has a microphone in front of them, and their voices work together to create a perfect blend of harmony. However, it is no secret that from woman Rachael Price is a vocal powerhouse, and she doesn’t shy away from showing that. A song like “Seats at the Bar” showcases her more jazzy control voice, while “Party on the Roof” highlights her range. While Price stuns at the front of the stage, she also highlights her band members and tells the audience how collaborative Lake Street Dive is. Before “Hypotheticals,” Price highlighted bassist Bridget Kearney, telling the audience that she is the primary writer behind the song. Additionally, the band debuted a new song called “Gertrude,” which showcased vocalist and keyboard player Akie Bermiss, also credited as the writer. It is clear that while everyone has their own area of expertise, the band, as noted by Price earlier, is in fact a collective unit that works together to create its unique and beautiful sound.
At one point in the show, the band transitioned to an acoustic portion of the set, and all gathered around a single mic at the center of the stage. The group put their own spin on a cover of The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.” Their jazz rendition of the iconic song was a hit, and was met with thunderous applause and cheers from the crowd. Later on in the set, they also covered Shania Twain’s “You’re Still The One,” which featured Bermiss on vocals, proving that Price is not the only powerhouse vocalist in the band.
The final two songs of Lake Street Dive’s set got everyone up and moving – which can be tough to do in an auditorium of seats! But with a song like “Dance With A Stranger,” you can’t help but get up and move. Combine that with a song as catchy as “You Go Down Smooth” to close things out, and everyone wanted more! Of course, the band obliged with an encore, knowing that there are two more songs in particular that everyone wants to hear. Lake Street Dive’s iconic cover of “Rich Girl” by Daryl Hall and John Oates remains one of their most-streamed songs, with their funky rendition giving new life to a classic tune. Finally, the night closed out with a bang as Price gave all she had left to perform “Good Kisser” off the 2018 album ‘Free Yourself Up’. I can confidently say this song never, ever, gets old, and hearing it live is only more and more fun every time. Before the night ended, the group mentioned that this was their last stretch of touring before they head back into the studio.
They’re a group that simply loves to make music and wants the world to love their music too!
I truly cannot wait to hear what this band has in store and hope they expedite the recording process, put out another killer album, and head back on the road (hopefully to Northeast Ohio) to support it!
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