JJ Grey & Mofro
Mars Music Hall Huntsville, AL August 19, 2022
Review & Photos by Bud Gambrell
JJ Grey & Mofro return to Huntsville to serve a heaping helping of their distinct blues, funk, soul, and rock sound.
As I arrived at Mars Music Hall, I was given a quick look at the stage by security to give me a lay of the land. This was my first JJ Grey show as well as my first time shooting at Mars Music Hall. The first thing I notice was a riser near the back of the stage for a brass section. The next thing I see is the keyboard players set-up. My attention is immediately drawn to the Hammond B-3 with a Leslie amp. My interest is peaked as I love the sound of a Hammond organ!
“When you go to a JJ Grey concert prepare for a soulful yet funky experience! You will be singing your heart out with your face upwards along to ‘I Believe’ & ‘Shining Down’ then movin’ your feet and swinging your hips to ‘On Fire’ & ‘Orange Blossoms’” fan Missy Kelly told me.
The show starts as JJ enters the stage under a spotlight with just his Harmonica playing the intro to ‘Country Ghetto”. From the opening lines “I see the look in your eyes I know I’m simple and plain. A country boy can’t survive too many ways in your game.” I knew this was going to be a good night!
Next up is the funk driven ‘WYLF’ followed by ‘Blackwater’ ‘Mississippi’ and the bluesy groove of ‘Move It On’. This set so far has been nothing short of on fire!
JJ Grey & Mofro fan Rebecca DeLong told me “He is masterful at drawing out emotion with every song and shares it with adoring fans who go to deep places with him.” I think Rebecca is onto something here. This band does just that!
The set continues with a look back to another song from Mofro’s first release “Blackwater” with ‘Nare Sugar’. ‘Write a Letter’ & ‘On Fire’ take us to halfway through this scorching set. The smooth groove of ‘Lazy Fo Acre’ comes next making it difficult to not start moving to that sound.
Just imagine the vocal solo for the beginning of ‘Everything Good’ as the lights lower and a spotlight on JJ ”Seems like everything good is bad and everything bad is good seems Like everything good is bad and everything bad is good” This band sure knows how to write a song to hook you.
On the set list is the only cover for the night ‘House of The Rising Sun’. If JJ Grey and Mofro were to pick a cover, this is the one they should go with. The band absolutely did this classic justice!
Longtime Mofro fan Michael Motsinger exclaims “When JJ steps on the stage he is a true performer in the sense of you know he’s gonna grab the crowd and he’s gonna bring that show to life.” This statement couldn’t be anymore true. So many fans in attendance knew the words and sang to every song.
“Homesick but it’s alright Lochloosa is on my mind She’s on my mind” begins the lyrics to ‘Lochloosa’ a song about JJ’s home state of Florida, continues the set as we start nearing the last part of the show. Geez, this goodness can’t end yet! “We traveled from Jacksonville FL to listen to JJ sing about home! He is down home at heart and loves to sing about growing up in Florida!” Rhonda Overton told me.
Two more songs ‘Orange Blossoms’ & ‘I Believe’ complete the set. All good things must come to an end. But wait! We still get an encore!
JJ Grey and Mofro return to the stage for the double encore of ‘Shining Down’ & ‘Brighter Days’. Yes, you guessed it. The crowd sings along with every word.
This 16-song set list definitely gave me a great look into the world of a JJ Grey & Mofro live event. Although this was my first JJ show. It will not be my last!
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