Review: Trombone Shorty

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
The State Theatre, Arlington VA
February 25

It wasn't actually that warm, but by the 2nd or 3rd song, the outer shirt was off. Welcome to a Trombone Shorty show.

I first saw Trombone Shorty in the summer of 2007, at an outdoor concert on the Hudson River. I remember we were told, um, this is a high energy act, so you're going to have to get up off of your picnic blankets. We did.

The group is touring extensively this winter/spring with an album coming in April.

They led off with Mercy, Mercy, Mercy and were soon on to a rendition of American Woman. I forgot a bit that the group does their own take on some quite popular stuff (Let's Get It Started (?!)). Sometimes I wish there were a little more emphasis on the original, and maybe we'll hear that in the new album.

But in the end what they are, at least for live shows, is a dance party band. And their line-up keeps the crowd quite pleased, myself included.

Troy Andrews and the rest of the band are quite young, mostly in their younger to mid twenties; it's amazing to think most of them have been touring for a few years. The only thing they're missing is the keyboard guy they had a while ago. But the band, including a new alto sax guy who looks like he can't be out of his teens, are all awfully good, and played together seemingly effortlessly.

The show moved toward New Orleans toward the end, with a little Aaron Neville mixed in and then the Saints.

More than two and a quarter hours after we started, we were exhausted. But we had sure got our money's worth.