It’s a lot of work being in NYC’s Apollo Run. John McGrew (vocals, piano, trumpet), Jeff Kerestes (bass, vocals), and Graham Fisk (drums, vocals) test their multi-tasking abilities to achieve their resounding orchestral rock aura. A crowded Pianos glowed with the hues of on-stage projections, as the band strutted their virtuosic stuff. Supporting their new release, “Here Be Dragons Vol. 1,” AR sprinted through an impressive selection of songs, highlighting “Nightingale” and “Love Song,” which melded sonata piano arpeggios, fervent call and response falsetto, and bass-driven reggae rhythms. Seductive, jazzy keys, trumpet, and bass lines surged with impassioned vocals on “That’s How It Felt,” while the audience basked in the warmth of Broadway-quality, three-part harmonies on “Wide Eyes” and (my) favorite, “Myography.” Other front row fan favorites included “City Lights,” “Devil in Disguise,” “Fireman,” “These Kind of Girls,” and “Chasing Rabbits.” Apollo Run joined the crowd for an a capella “stomp-clap song,” “All in Good Time,” to finish a visually and aurally stunning set with flair. – Meijin Bruttomesso
