The Fillmore Auditorium and Sirius Jam On hosted a big night of live music with Galactic, Antibalas and Andy Frasco & The U.N. on Saturday, February 4 in downtown Denver.

Music started off with Andy Frasco & the U.N. around 8:30 p.m. The Los Angeles crew of alternative blues musicians brought a positive vibe to the evening. Later in the evening, some of the band members joined Galactic during the encore.

Amayo, vocalist and percussionist in Antibalas, performing at The Fillmore Auditorium in Denver on 02/04/17. Photo by: Matthew McGuire

One of the reasons I wanted to review this concert was to showcase the professional edge that these bands bring to onstage collaboration. Each of these groups and musicians brought a high level of skill within their instrumentation.

Antibalas, a New York-based group, brought a lively mix of world music to The Fillmore Auditorium on Saturday evening. The band is made up of 16 members. They showcase a large horn section with five musicians. A guitar section, a percussion section, a vocalist and a keyboardist. It is a dynamic live performance.

Antibalas reminds me of an orchestra of musicians that normally play classical music, but instead of classical, they focus more on funk and afrobeat music.

After Antibalas wrapped their set, Galactic setup for a monster set with Erica Falls being featured on vocals.

Erica Falls, vocalist in Galactic, performing at The Fillmore Auditorium in Denver on 02/04/17. Photo by: Matthew McGuire

It marked my first time seeing Falls perform with the group. Her soulful voice does well for balancing so many different styles of songs.

Galactic has a large selection of songs to dial in during live performances. They seem to focus heavily on the 2012 album Carnivale Electricos. Mardi Gras is coming up in New Orleans, and Denver was able to get a taste of the French Quartet entertainment.

The Revivalists, a New Orleans-based act, performed a sold out show at The Ogden Theater on the same evening. In spirit of musicianship, David Shaw, vocalist in The Revivalists, and Adam Deitch, drummer in Break Science, both made guest appearances at The Fillmore Auditorium in Denver. The crowd mirrored the high energy on stage.

David Shaw highlighted the concert with his vocals on the track ‘Hey Na Na.’ It was ambitious of Shaw to wrap his sold out show with The Revivalists at the Ogden Theater, travel over to The Fillmore, and guest spot with Galactic.

During the encore Galactic brought out members of Antibalas, Adam Deitch, Andy Frasco, and members from the U.N. to perform together.

Scan over the photo gallery below with imagery from the concert. Stream ‘Hey Na Na’ on YouTube to get into the Mardi Gras spirit.