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Jukebox the Ghost Warm Things Up at Summerstage

As Jukebox the Ghost's tour with Ingrid Michaelson approached its end, the group performed an enjoyable pop set in Central Park.
Jukebox the Ghost

Jukebox the Ghost have a high probability of experiencing some technical difficulty during one of their shows. Fortunately, at Central Park’s Summerstage the greatest difficulty the band encountered was a microphone that was too close to pianist Ben Thornewill’s face, or one he got too close to, as he bumped into it at one point. Could it be their “curse” doesn’t apply when they are openers? I don’t know for sure, but I would rather have dealt with some technical difficulties and watched a longer set than catch them in abbreviated form. But I take what I can get. And the piano driven pop trio, Thornewill, Jesse Kristin on drums and Tommy Siegel on guitar, were in fine form.

Jukebox the Ghost released their fourth album (self-titled) last year before they signed to Cherrytree Records this year. That gave the band reason to re-release the Jukebox the Ghost in deluxe form with a second disc featuring piano renditions of the first disc. And though it isn’t their strongest release, it features a lot of fun songs. Through touring with Ingrid Michaelson, they were reaching larger and larger crowds and earning more fans (including one of the guitarists in her band who wore a JtG shirt during their set). They of which were played during their Summerstage set including “Hollywood”, the splash-down “Made for Ending”, the multi-layered “Undeniable You” and the jubilant “Sound of a Broken Heart”. Jukebox (or Juicebox as I take delight in calling them in my own home) squeezed in several older songs too plus a cover of Queen’s “Somebody to Love” that might have gone over the heads of the many youths in the audience. Either way though, the band clearly enjoyed performing in the heart of their (transplanted) home town and the audience too enjoyed themselves as the sun set for the headliner. Jukebox the Ghost’s bright and sunny (maybe not lyrically) music was a good fit for Michaelson’s tour and for the wonderful summer evening in Central Park.

The Summerstage 30th Anniversary Season is well under way but there are lots of great shows of all varieties still to come. Some of the upcoming events: George Clinton visits Queensbridge Park on July 15th; Guster hits Central Park for a paid show on the 20th; Young Fathers and Fantastic Negrito are free at Summerstage on the 25th and Caribou are at East River Park on August 6th. Visit their homepage to get details on these shows and many many more across the five boroughs.

Jukebox the Ghost:

Ingrid Michaelson:

FROM THE POPMATTERS ARCHIVES