Review: Lake Street Dive frees Tahoe up in return visit

Rachael Price’s jazzy, blue-eyed soul vocals always have provided the glue that binds the poppy riffs of Boston’s Lake Street Dive.

Saturday night at the Montbleu Resort and Casino, the band revealed an addition to Lake Tahoe fans, while closing out the first leg of their Free Yourself Up Tour, that can elevate this band to another level.

He only sang lead for one song, a deep and powerful R&B take on Shania Twain’s “You’re Still The One.” But the addition of keyboard player and vocalist Akie Bermiss creates both beautiful support and brash counterpoint to Price’s stylings. One can only hope some duet ideas bubble up as they get to know one another out on the road this summer.

As simple as Burmiss’ keyboard part is on “Musta Been Something” from “Free Yourself Up,” it gives long time Lake Street Dive fans a taste of the musical possibilities to come. Bermiss not only provides a fresh foundation for Price to flourish but should also open up windows for Mike “McDuck” Olson to further showcase his trumpet chops.

Fans excited to hear selections from the latest record had to love Saturday, as the band dropped every single cut from “Free Yourself Up,” including radio hit “Good Kisser.” Paired in the set with longtime hit “Bad Self Portraits,” the two songs rousted a large contingent of congertgoers from their seats to dance and sing along, continuing into “You Go Down Smooth.”

The party in full swing, vocalist and stand-up bassist Bridget Kearney reminded the crowd that on the Dive’s last swing through Tahoe there had been a conga line, and she fully expected to see one Saturday. The crowd happily complied during “Shame, Shame, Shame” with a parade of linked bouncing bodies that swirled down front and eventually weaved through to the upper reaches of the venue by the tune’s conclusion.

As the evening wrapped with a sing along chorus of Hall & Oates’ “Rich Girl,” all of the amateur vocalists in the room had stretched their vocal chords to the edges trying to keep up with the elegant and stylish Rachael Price.  Perhaps on their next visit they’ll be some new songs or arrangements for the boys in the crowd to belt out with Aki Bermiss.

                                                                                                                                                – Michael Smyth

Related story: Q & A with Bridget Kearney.

Lake Street Dive
MontBleu Theatre, Lake Tahoe
June 2, 2018
Baby, Don’t Leave Me Alone With My Thoughts
You Are Free
I Don’t Care About You
Red Light Kisses
Mistakes
Bobby Tanqueray
Spectacular Failure
Doesn’t Even Matter Now
Call Off Your Dogs
Hang On
I Can Change
*You’re Still The One (Shania Twain cover)
Bad Self Portraits
Good Kisser
You Go Down Smooth
Musta Been Something
Shame, Shame, Shame
Seventeen
Dude

*Akie Bermiss on lead vocal

Encore
What I’m Doing Here
Rich Girl (Hall & Oates cover)