Neal Francis performed at the Aggie Theatre Sept. 11, filling a simple Wednesday night with the blissfulness of psychedelic funk music and transforming not just the venue but the audience as well. 

Francis brought him, his band and an entirely new decade of music with him. It was a show not seen very often. Everything from the stage to the audience to the performers banded together to create a show memorable for all. 

Performing both their hit songs, such as “Changes, Pt. 1” and “Can’t Stop the Rain,” while also creating an atmosphere that resembles a jam band, the musicians were able to wear their hearts on their sleeves and pass the feeling through the crowd. 

“This is the best show of the tour so far,” Francis said as he reflected on the band’s tour, as it makes five stops in Colorado with a seemingly endless number of shows across the United States.

“Put all of these elements together, and you have one hell of a performance. It is a show that not only displays incredible music but is curated to transport and, even more so, transform its listeners.”

Francis is a Chicago-based musician with a band that consists of him as lead singer and pianist, Kellen Boersma on guitar, Mike Starr on bass and, last but definitely not least, Collin O’Brien on drums. 

The band draws from influences such as instrumental funk, soft psychedelic rock and New Orleans jazz to create a musical sound that takes its audience back to the good ol’ days.

During their show at the Aggie, they did just that. Their music allowed the majority of its songs to be guitar heavy without drowning out the free-spirited drums or the piano performance that seemed to be perfectly in sync with Francis’ personal emotions during the show. 

A performance that created an atmosphere of its own. The stage was filled with instruments and a cohesive passion between the musicians. The stage was set with two pianos set up corner to corner in the center of the stage. Along each side of the pianos were the bass and guitar players, and on the far left of the stage were the drums. 

This stage setup allowed each member of the band to be in the front of the stage. In return, the audience was able to engage not only with one another but also with each member of the band and what they contributed to the night. 

The audience responded with a shifted mindset — a mindset of getting loose. By allowing one another to dance to funk psych the way it’s meant to be danced to and creating an environment of tremendous love and understanding, the whole venue was then able to turn into a wave of nonstop cohesive movement and sound.

Each member’s style complemented the others’ as well, uniting a style that matches the era of their music, with both shaggy and long curly locks, denim and colorful patterns galore, as well as an overall style that takes their audience back to the time of The Doors, Peter Frampton and Led Zeppelin. 

Put all of these elements together, and you have one hell of a performance. It is a show that not only displays incredible music but is curated to transport and, even more so, transform its listeners. 

Reach Ruby Secrest at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.