Despite lead singer Jessica Brown being sick, her vocals were better than ever last night in Auburn proving that Root Shock is one of the best local Upstate NY groups to see.
The cold, windy winter night this past Friday saw Upstate NY reggae group Root Shock take the stage at Auburn's Public Theater. With a winter storm warning in affect and winds howling at more than 45 mph, it was great to see a good sized crowd turn out at the Right Stage.
Root Shock came on stage right on time just about 8pm to the dimly lit and intimate small room, which provided a perfect experience to catch this up and coming and extremely talented group. Although there were no doubt many Shock fans in the crowd that have seen the group live before, there were also a few first timers in attendance as well.
The band looked great for the evening, especially lead singer Jessica Brown. She didn't let any sickness bring her down, and appeared just to be as excited to be there as the one hundred people that were there in front of her.
Right from the start, Root Shock pumped out the jams and showed no sign of stopping last night. Their excitement and high energy didn't miss a beat throughout their performance. It was also great to be a part of the band's first home town show of the new year. The band took the previous month off to take a break, and now after resting, they appear to be ready for what 2019 has in store for them..
One of the highlights of last night were the guitarists Bill Eppel, Phil Grajko and Jason Randall. They all proved that the band are just as great as Jessica herself. It was also a delight to see Brian Lauri bring out the guitar keyboard for the very first time later on in the set.
The small room provided an excellent sound and intimate setting, one where you can clearly hear every instrument in the band very well throughout the entire night.
The 1 hour and 45 minute set list included many new songs that were a surprise to hear, hinting that a new album might be released in 2019. Of course, the band still played fan favorites that got the crowd cheering and dancing like 'Come Alive' and 'Babylon Tree' from their acclaimed debut album.
The crowd was a great mixture of young and old people, male and female and of course Jessica couldn't help resist but sing Happy Birthday to an eleven year old boy in the front. There were a few children in the crowd that were dancing a long side their parents that showed everyone can truly enjoy a Root Shock concert.
Above everything else, Jessica Brown is a tour de force of extreme talent and beautiful vocals. She and Root Shock are one of the best local Upstate NY groups you can see, and 2019 will no doubt be a very promising year for the rising stars.
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All Photos by Leo Pareti:
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