W.S. Walcott Medicine Show

Hurray For The Riff Raff & Greg Mendez – White Eagle Hall (2025-07-23)

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 13 years since the first time I got to see Hurray For The Riff Raff back when the band included Sam Doores (from The Deslondes) and multi instrumentalist Yosi Perlstein and was more of a traditional folky band. Since then I’m not even sure how many times I’ve seen either Alynda solo or some itteration of the band at varied places like The Jalopy Theatre, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, St Ann’s Church, Warsaw and The Knitting Factory to name a few.

During these 13 years HFTRR has morphed from that rootsy Americana group to a more indie flavored ensemble and with their current lineup, while not as rootsy as the original lineup, clearly showing a return to a more down home kind of sound. This current lineup which has been on the road with Alynda for over a year now is probably my second favorite version of the band being as that original lineup will always hold a near and dear spot in my heart.

All of this being said, after seeing this group about one year ago when HFTRR played at Rockefeller Park, as good as they were, it was fairly evident that the ensemble was still learning their individual lanes in the scheme of a working unit. Well suffice it to say, on Wednesday night the band displayed a musicianship and syncronicity that could only be attained by relentless touring and playing with one another. An interesting sidenote is the fact that after having spent numerous years calling New Orleans their home, Alynda moved to Chicago last year in order to be closer to the rest of the band who happen to mostly all live in the Chicago area.

To no one’s surprise the 14 song set was comprised of mostly tunes culled from last year’s magestic LP, The Past Is Still Alive. Not to downplay the songs from The Past Is Still Alive, ironically some of the best moments of the evening (for me at least) were songs not from it. After opening the evening up with “Alibi” ans “Buffalo” from The Past, Alynda introduced “RHODODENDRON” from 2022’s Life On Earth as a song about flowers and proceeded to lead the band into a rollicking and rocking version of the song that not only had Alynda dancing and prancing all about but also had most of the crowd doing exactly the same.

After a rousing and funky rendition of “Snake Plant (The Past Is Still Alive)” the band dove into another Life On Earth tune, this time the trippy electronic based “PRECIOUS CARGO” which featured Alynda displaying quite an adept rap style vocal.

Concluding the main set with “Ogallala” the band came back for an encore of the “Hourglass” an almost lulaby like tune from The Past. While “Hourglass” was movingly beautiful in its simplicity and calming mood setting tempo, it was clear that there was no way they could end the night on such a mellow note. And they certainly did not, as Alynda put down their guitar and jumped into the soliloquy that kicks off “Pa’lante” from 2017’s The Navigator LP. Of course Alynda Segarra was born and raised in the South Bronx and her Puerto Rican heritage is a huge part of who they are as a person and an artist. Pa’lante is a Caribbean Spanish slang term which literally means “move forward” but more importantly has come to be a rallying cry for a call to action. The song itself has become a staple of Hurray For The Riff Raff’s show stopping finales and on Wednesday evening Segarra and crew kicked the anthem into high gear with a recitation of each and every word inciting the crowd, in this age of Trump not with anger but with a feeling of hope, a pleading for all of us to reach back to our forebearers and their feelings of pride and faith as a reason for their emigrating to the the United States to begin with. “Pa’Lante” didn’t come adross as a call for arms (although it certainly could be) but rather a plea for all of us to take back the narrative of who we are as people and as a country. Segarra and the rest of Hurray For The Riff Raff nailed it.

Hurray For The Riff Raff & Greg Mendez Slideshow

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention opener, Greg Mendez who offered up a quietly moving set of beautifully crafted songs that he presented with self accompaniment of guitar and keyboard. Greg who’s songs are soft and introspective and wonderfully crafted had the unenviable task of having to present his tender tunes to what turned out to be a less than attentive and somewhat noisy crowd which unfortunately missed out on a touchingly poignant set from an artist who ought to be paid attention to pa’lante.

Hurray For The Riff Raff Setlist:

1. Alibi
2. Hawkmoon
3. RHODODENDRON
4. Dynamo
5. Buffalo
6. Colossus of Roads
7. Snake Plant (The Past Is Still Alive)
8. PRECIOUS CARGO
9. Pyramid Scheme
10. Vetiver
11. The World Is Dangerous
12. Ogallala

Encore:

13. Hourglass
14. Pa’lante