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June 29, 2025

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I walked into the bathroom at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights, shortly after obtaining my photo pass. I had with me a large photo bag containing cameras and associated equipment. A gentlemen in a tye-dye tee-shirt with a Jerry Garcia-esque beard entered after me. Upon seeing my photography bag, the tye-dye clad gentleman broke into a smile and said "Are you a taper?" He was, of course, referring to the tradition began by the Grateful Dead of allowing audience members to record concerts. I said "No, but I am the photographer!" He waved at me and said "Have a blast tonight, man!" 

 

It was with this interaction, full of good cheer and with a touch of hippie energy, that I knew that this show to follow would be a fun one. The free spirit and cool vibes of the crowd translated into the music heard as Dispatch, John Butler, G Love and Special Sauce, and Donovan Frankenreiter spread further good vibes to the crowd in Cain Park on Friday night.   

 

An acoustic set from Donovan Frankenreiter and G. Love, A.K.A. Garrett Dutton, invited the crowd to take a load off. The two men, sitting on bar stools, personified summertime laid-back vibes. G. Love was dressed like he could be going to the beach, the skate park, or wherever the cool kids hang. With his backwards hat and bright pink button-down shirt, the ensemble radiated "cool vibes." Donovan Frankenreiter was dressed in relaxed blue jeans and a button down shirt. 

 

The two artists meshed well, as both traded leads and rhythms with ease. G. Love provided harmonica accompaniment for many songs. A highlight of the set was "It Don't Matter," a cut from Frankenreiter's 2004 self-titled album. The audience sang along with the call-and-response format of the song, with G. Love remarking that the crowd "sounded like a chorus." Both G. Love and Frankenreiter ard exceptional players of a smooth, easy-times kind of music. By the end of their set, I was relaxed and cooled off, as the sun continued setting over Cain Park. 

 

After a brief cool off, Frankenreiter and G. Love re-emerged on stage, this time backed by Special Sauce. Special Sauce, consisting of Jeffrey Clemens on drums and Jim Prescott on bass, added tight low end to the sounds brought by G. Love and Frankenreiter. Prescott especially was a highlight, playing an old-school acoustic double bass that was almost taller than him! Highlights of this set included "Soul-B-Que" and especially "My Baby Got Sauce," in which G. Love embraced his inner G-Funk as he rapped about a lover with that certain kind of swagger.  

 

After the band wrapped their set, I watched as all members of the band, including Donovan Frankenreiter, assisted the road crew in breaking down gear. Any musician willing to help their road crew is automatically a class act! It further illustrated that, for all their talent, these bands remain grounded. 

 

The John Butler Band started their set with a spoken word invocation by Butler to stop and remember those that came before us, whose decisions and sacrifices allowed us to assemble. It was refreshing to hear someone recognize the pivotal role the past plays in our modern story. After his first song, which had liberal use of profanity, Butler sarcastically apologized to the crowd for his sailor's mouth by playing his brand new single "So Sorry." The song was very well received, with Butler rocking his acoustic guitar. 

 

Particular highlights from Butler's set include "Miss Your Love" from 2018's HOME. In the intro to the song, he remarked that the song is about a boy occupying a man's body. Butler remarked that "many presidents and politicians are playing to be men" and that "men are warriors, but also protectors and nurturers themselves." The crowd reaction to his commentary, as well as the song, was immediate. Folks danced at their seats as well as in the lawn area of the amphitheater, enjoying the sweet tones and righteous message. 

 

Yet more highlights included "Trippin' On You," a new cut from his forthcoming release PRISM, due out September 5th. The bassist opened the song with a cool piano riff reminiscent of "Saturday in the Park" from Chicago. Butler moved into a 10-minute instrumental track, playing a 12-string acoustic guitar. Between pedals and effects, the acoustic guitar was made to sound wholly electric. By the time the band got to "Better Than That," at which time Butler was picking a banjo, the crowd was singing along with every word. With their final bow, the John Butler Band continued the cool vibes of the evening. 

 

Dispatch proved to be the most outwardly political band of the whole evening, with singer Chadwick Stokes holding a land acknowledgement, stating that the land currently occupied was stolen though conquest from the Native Americans, to which many audience members cheered. There was also discussion of reproductive rights and an invocation to place women into elected office, which was sprinkled throughout the set. The band consists of exceptionally talented musicians Chadwick Stokes, alongside Matt Embree on guitar, Reinaldo DeJesus on drums (a fill-in for long time member Brad Corrigan, who is celebrating the birth of a child!), and Mike Sawitzke serving as a multi-instrumenalist. The show had heavy crowd love, as people danced and swayed like an ocean on a calm night. 

 

Highlights of the show included "Whisk Me Away" with many members of the crowd now into the aisles to dance along, along with the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young classic "Ohio." Stokes mentioned before the song that a fan had just given him a replica of a guitar he had many years ago that he bought in South Africa, which was made from an old oil can. It played with a cool tone and it sounded great on the song. 

 

Other gems from the evening included "Here We Go," from the band's 1997 album "Bang Bang." Having heard the studio version, the live version is even more bombastic, with a sway that made the crowd go bananas. The band included c cover of the Stones' Sympathy for the Devil, which carried the groove on. "Yellow Jacket," a cut from the band's new album of the same name, called upon an island/ reggae music vibe, which was a perfect fit for the evening. The audience went absolutely crazy for "The General," also from 1997's "Bang Bang." The whole audience sang every word, with Stokes essentially rapping the song in rapid fire to the audience. The crowd sang the refrain as the band took a short water break, which made them even more elated. 

 

An old George Gershwin song says "Summertime, and the livin' is easy..." The living was easy at Cain Park with the solid, grooving sounds of four killer bands. Hopefully Cleveland will be blessed to have more easy vibes next summer from this collection of players!

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Review and photos by Michael Yakim