I
caught Niacin's first set a little late at 7:50pm, when they were doing a
funky song with killer heavy drum solos by former P-Funk drummer, Dennis Chambers!!
The organ riffs provided by John Novello were PHAT!!! The next song was some
funky jazz shit with some heavy bass by Billy Sheehan (as requested by a fan in
the audience) and moments of heavy organ!! Following that was some good
jazz with a very fast-paced groove that slowed down significantly in the
middle, but sped up towards the end. I love the way that Dennis Chambers alternates between strong,
unpredictable drumming and light, steady drumming!!!Niacin smoked with some
superfunky grooves on funkafied bass and smokin' organ riffs!! The group slowed things down with a
ballad called "I Miss You". They did a wild jam that was close to hard rock, with organ
riffs that reminded me of the Sly Stone's "Sing a Simple Song"!!
Dennis did a killer drum intro during the next rock-funk venture......the organ
stanked up the Bottom Line while the drums & bass tore it down!!! Billy was
doing some really impressive bass acrobatics!! The group's signature song,
"Niacin", was a rock song with an aggressive bass line and drumming!! The show stopped at 9:05pm, with an
encore performance of a fast-paced rock-style tune that concluded the first set
at 9:15pm.
Submit suggestions or comments to david.brooks@brookenstein.com