Broadway, Costumes, and Soul: Lawrence Rocks Huntington on Halloween

Sometimes there’s a little crossover between my two worlds, the one where I write about baseball over at KinersKorner.com, and the one here, where I ramble about music, movies, TV, and whatever random shit that happens to pop into my head. This story happens to live right in that sweet spot between the Mets and the band Lawrence.

I only came to know Lawrence through my son Josh, who works for the Mets and has what scouts would call “plus-plus taste in music.” (I like to think all those hours he spent trapped in the car with me, driving to travel baseball games while I blasted every one of my Springsteen bootlegs, had something to do with it.)

It was Josh who turned us onto Lawrence when they sang the national anthem at Citi Field , and Josh again who got our whole family tickets to their Family Business Tour show at Radio City Music Hall last September. We walked out of that concert instant fans. Not only are Clyde and Gracie Lawrence immensely talented, but Clyde is also a bona fide Mets fan who was kind enough to talk with me for my Kiner’s Korner feature, “Faith, Funk & Flushing: Clyde Lawrence’s Mets Fandom.”

So when the band brought their Family Business Tour: Part 2 to The Paramount in Huntington, Long Island, there was no way we were missing it.

If you’re new to the Lawrence fan club , and believe me, membership fills up fast, consider this my invitation to you to see what all the joyful noise is about.( You can thank me later) Lawrence is a New York City–born pop-soul powerhouse led by siblings Clyde and Gracie Lawrence, who have been performing and writing together since childhood. Today, they front an eight-piece band with a horn section that could raise the dead (fitting for Halloween), layering a Phil Spector–style Wall of Sound over the swagger and punch of the Asbury Jukes, all anchored by a rhythm section so tight you’d think they’ve been playing together since kindergarten, which is probably because they have been

They’ve released four studio albums the latest, Family Business, dropped in June and they have played with everyone from the Jonas Brothers to the Rolling Stones. Their single “Don’t Lose Sight” hit the airwaves with a Microsoft commercial and led to spots on Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and CBS Saturday Morning.But it’s more than a catchy tune. It calls out the music business, and the band even wrote a New York Times piece about industry headaches sparked by the Taylor Swift ticket mess. That got the attention of Live Nation, lawmakers, and anyone who’s ever felt the system was rigged against the little guy.

It’s a move that reminds you of Billy Joel’s “The Entertainer” from ’74 a funny, cynical look at fame and radio’s love of chopping songs down to size. Both Lawrence and Joel made music that called out the business, and both ended up getting a career boost from the very system they were poking fun at..

Clyde who wrote a song for Miss Congeniality when he was five (no, seriously) handles vocals, keys, and most of the banter. Gracie, who’s also a talented actress (The Sex Lives of College Girls, Younger, Billions) and just came off her Broadway run playing Connie Francis in the Bobby Darin show Just in Time (more on that later — I saw her in it, and she was amazing), sings with the power of Aretha and the attitude of someone who’s been told one too many times to “turn it down.” Together, they’re an unstoppable duo, backed by a horn-driven band that can shift from groove to gospel to pure joy in a heartbeat.

The town of Huntington was buzzing as trick-or-treaters roamed the streets, and the crowd at The Paramount didn’t disappoint , lots of fans showed up in costumes of all kinds, from spooky to silly, totally on their own. And the band? They went all in, with a Broadway theme in mind. Clyde rocked an Elphaba ensemble, Gracie shone as Glinda, and the horn section got theatrical: Jordan Cohen came as King George from Hamilton, Sumner Becker as Evan Hansen, and Marc Langer as a member of ABBA. Guitarist Jonny Koh paid tribute to Gracie by dressing as Connie Francis, bassist Michael Karsh stepped out as a Cats cast member, and drummer Sam Askin made a splash as Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors. Even the sound crew got in on it, decked out as the Blue Man Group.

It was a full-blown Broadway-inspired costume parade that set the stage for what could only be described as the best Halloween party ever and it had only just begun.

The show kicked off with the title track from their fourth album, Family Business, and set the tone for a night that was equal parts funk, soul, and pure Broadway magic. Highlights kept rolling in: Do, I’m Confident that I’m Insecure, 23, and a heartfelt tribute to one of the band’s biggest influences D’Angelo. Clyde explained how the song Where It Started From demonstrated the impact D’Angelo had on their sound, and you could feel the sincerity radiating from the stage.

Of course, it was Halloween, and what party would be complete without a treat? Gracie brought out her Just in Time co-star Erika Henningsen who, for maximum meta effect, was dressed as Gracie herself and they FaceTimed Jonathan Groff, the star of Just in Time, who was backstage on Broadway during intermission. Together, they performed You’ll Be Back, the song Groff famously made his own as King George in Hamilton. The look on Groff’s face? Pure joy.

The night included an amazing acoustic set anchored by The Weather and Something in the Water, which featured a seamless transition into the full band. They threw in a cover of Britney Spears’ Toxic for good measure, because, why not? The treats continued when the show’s opening act, Jacob Jeffries, joined them for a kick-ass version of his song How Much Do You Love Me. Other highlights included Do You Wanna Do Nothing With Me? and the sing-along to their anthem Don’t Lose Sight, which had the whole Paramount feeling like part of the band’s extended family.

Then came the Broadway magic. The band launched into a medley that included Cabaret, Summer Loving, You Can’t Stop the Beat, and Don’t Rain on My Parade , Gracie channeling both Barbra Streisand and Lea Michele flawlessly before soaring into Defying Gravity. Here, Gracie shifted seamlessly from Streisand/Michele mode into full-blown Idina Menzel/Cynthia Erivo energy, and yes, the goosebumps were real.

The show closed with Whatcha Want, leaving the crowd buzzing, dancing, and grinning ear to ear. Honestly, this review barely scratches the surface of how incredible it was. My only tiny disappointment? They didn’t play one of my wife Beth’s and my favorite songs, More. But then again, maybe that’s the point — the hallmark of a great concert is that it always leaves you wanting more. And if last night is any indication, there’s going to be plenty more Lawrence to look forward to in the future.