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Lake Street Dive in Worcester

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Lake Street Dive
Mohegan Sun Arena — Uncasville, CT

Lake Street Dive is a Boston-based funk and soul band that somehow keeps getting better instead of calcifying into nostalgia. They started in the mid-2000s as a street busking group, which explains why their sound has this infectious, go-anywhere energy that doesn't care about genre lanes. Their 2013 album Bad Self Portraits introduced them to a wider audience, but it was 2015's Side Pony that made them unavoidable—tracks like 'Good as Hell' became the kind of song people who don't normally listen to funk actually sought out. Ssinger Rachael Price has a voice that can shift from breathy and intimate to absolutely commanding without breaking a sweat. The band treats every song like it's a negotiation with the listener, building grooves instead of just playing them, making arrangements that breathe and shift. They're serious musicians who refuse to sound serious about it.

Shows feel like a really good party where the musicians somehow have more fun than the audience, which is impossible but they manage it anyway. Price commands the stage without trying. Crowds move without being told to.

Known for Good as Hell, It Happened to Me, Bad Self Portraits, Side Pony, What Would a Wise Man Do

Lake Street Dive rolled through Worcester in October 2019, turning the DCU Center into exactly the kind of room where they thrive. They opened with the loose swagger of "You Are Free" and spent the evening threading between their funkier impulses and poppier hooks. "Red Light Kisses" and "Dirty Work" showed off their ability to make something sound both effortless and technically pristine, while "Seventeen" let them stretch into something more vulnerable. The setlist felt lived-in, the kind of night where a band plays songs they actually believe in rather than just hitting the obvious marks.

Worcester's been quietly building something real—it's got the bones of a real music city, with enough venues and people who actually care about interesting music. Lake Street Dive's blend of funk, soul, and pop sensibilities should find traction here. The city's seen enough live music to know the difference between a good band and a great one.

Stay in the Elm Hill neighborhood — it's got actual character with tree-lined streets and the best local dining concentration. Book a table at Elm Tavern for elevated comfort food, then spend an afternoon at the Worcester Art Museum, which has a surprisingly strong collection that rewards a couple hours. If you want something quieter before the show, The Hanover Theatre is worth checking even if you're not catching a play — the building itself is an ornate 1904 gem. The walk from Elm Hill to the venue area is doable and keeps you off the highway entirely.

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