JJ Grey & Mofro

JJ Grey & Mofro

By: Todd McFliker Photos: Todd McFliker

On Friday, December 6th, JJ Grey & Mofro’s funk and gospel enthralled South Floridians for a couple hours at Revolution Live. The material was symbolic of the man’s hometown, Jacksonville, reflecting artists like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Jerry Reed, as well as Otis Redding’s soulful sounds. From the opening notes of “Olustee,” the mature crowd in Fort Lauderdale cherished the artist’s intense passion and impeccable talent. Concertgoers held up their arms and cheered for the title track off the band’s new album. Throwing peace signs, “You guys are fuckin’ fantastic is what you are,” said JJ. Grey wore a nice black shirt buttoned halfway up, white slacks, and a cap tilted to the side. The swamp rock artist looked chic in a white beard. Along with two skilled female vocalists, JJ was backed up by eight other talented musicians, including a couple of sax players, one with a trumpet, another on keys, a guitarist, a bassist and two drummers. It was rather exciting to experience them all playing the blues in sync.

Mofro performed the new album’s funky “Rooster” and the upbeat “WYLF.” Grey introduced “This River” as a tribute to St. John’s River near Jacksonville. “This song is about me arguing with myself in front of that big, beautiful river,” he said. “What’s the old saying? Booze is a wonderful servant but a terrible mask. I found that out the hard way. This is a song that came out of all that.”

The set-list included beloved gems, like “99 Shades of Crazy,” “Hide and Seek” and the hip John Anderson cover “Seminole Wind.” The frontman said the passionate “Starry Night” is about the beauty of getting a fire going under the big sky. “Feeling small and loving it with a loved one snuggling up,” he explained. “Or maybe you might be with your boy drinking beer or the whole gang. Or your youngins roasting marshmallows, whatever. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Throughout the evening, JJ impressed with a number of lengthy harmonica solos, as did every other artist onstage with their own instruments. During older favorites, like the timeless “Orange Blossoms,” he hopped up and down singing about the troubles with finding true love. Spotlights danced from behind the talent during “Lochloosa,” a reference to Lake Lochloosa in Northern Florida. Hundreds of lively spectators joined in the sing-along before Grey even started with the familiar chorus, “Homesick, but it’s alright. Lochloosa is on my mind.”

The crew wrapped up their spirited set with “The Sun is Shining Down,” followed by the soulful “Brighter Days.” It was an ideal balance of older material meshed with Olustee. Fort Lauderdale was the Olustee tour’s final stop of year. No worries, Mofro will kick off again in Houston in the middle of January with JJ’s signature country rock.