eden-abbey-review
The Voodoo Gypsies – Live at Eden Abbey
By Matt Pfiffner
From the opening moments of their shows, it’s obvious the Voodoo Gypsies aren’t your typical run-of-the-mill cover band. While watching them perform, you can tell the quartet of lead singer Kevin Howell, lead guitarist Vinny Ritoli, bass player Marcel Lautenier and drummer Chris Valentino genuinely love playing music with each other and entertaining the crowd, no matter how big or small. And if you didn’t know any better, as well as they perform each song, you would swear they were Voodoo Gypsies originals.
Whether they are playing at large outdoor venues in The Villages or an intimate indoor setting like Eden Abbey Brewing Community in Mount Dora, The Voodoo Gypsies entertain all in attendance. It doesn’t matter if you’re seeing them for the first time or the 20th time, you’re sure to be enthralled.
The quartet plays a broad range of songs from different artists. Those songs share one thing in common — they are classics you are sure to know and more than likely love.
At a recent three-hour show on 6/14/24, the power of the band was on full display for a rocking three sets. Here is a look at the songs The Voodoo Gypsies did that night.
6/14/24 – Show Review
SET ONE
The first set of the show opened with Atlanta Rhythm Section’s version of the hit “Spooky.” It’s a very strong start to the show, with everyone firing on all cylinders and a fun solo by Ritoli and impressive vocals from Howell.
Howell’s vocals shine on the next song, “Some Kind of Wonderful” by Grand Funk Railroad, and the band goes right into “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison after that, where you are pulled in from the opening guitar chords.
Always a crowd favorite, Wilson Pickett’s classic “Mustang Sally,” is the next choice. Valentino’s drumming and Lautenier’s bass playing are on full display during this selection.
After taking a swing at “Day Tripper” by some band called The Beatles, the Gypsies have a lot of fun with “Secret Agent Man” by Johnny Rivers. Maybe not a song you hear played often, but it’s a fun surprise for the audience.
The Mamas & the Papas classic tune “California Dreamin‘” is next in line and is a great song for everyone in the band to get a chance to shine, including a short solo from Ritoli that is just an appetizer for some of the fireworks to come later in the night.
When Howell needs to give his voice a quick break, Lautenier is usually the one to step up to the mic and that was the case here with the band’s rendition of The Searchers’ classic “Love Potion No. 9.”
After his break, Howell steps back on stage and delivers a rocking version of the Led Zeppelin classic “Ramble On,” and the rest of the band follows with an epic performance. A true rock star performance from all four band members.
The set closes out with “Rock Steady” and “Do Ya,” and an outstanding version of the Tom Petty classic “American Girl.” It’s hard for a cover band in Florida to not toss in at least one song from Gainesville’s favorite rocker and The Voodoo Gypsies certainly do the song justice.
SET TWO
The second set of the evening opens with the U2 hit “Mysterious Ways,” showing the band’s ability to move into the 1990s and beyond showing off the drumming of Valentino. He may be in the background on stage, but his drumming is a constant force throughout the show.
After the classic 80’s song “Talking In Your Sleep” by The Romantics, Howell’s vocals shine in “The BreakUp Song” by The Greg Kihn Band. They certainly don’t write ’em like that anymore.
The REM classic “The One I Love” is next in line, yet again showing the band’s range in styles. Always a crowd favorite, “Jenny” follows. Just about everyone in the crowd has the phone number 8675309 memorized and sings along with the band.
“Hurt So Good,” by John Mellencamp is next in the evening and is a sneaky good song that everyone in the band shines on. An outstanding version of Van Halen’s cover of “Pretty Woman,” is dedicated to all the ladies in the audience and The Voodoo Gypsies do not disappoint with their performance.
One of the absolute showstoppers of the night comes next, as the band takes on the Prince anthem “Purple Rain.” Everyone in the group is on fire and Ritoli delivers an insane guitar solo that has the crowd begging for more.
Lautenier’s bass playing shines in the next selection, “Wild Night” by Van Morrison, followed by the band taking on a wide range of artists, including Billy Joel’s “You May Be Right,” “Fly Away” from Lenny Kravitz, Stevie Wonder’s classic “Superstition,” and “Too Much Time On My Hands” from Styx. The set concludes with a powerful performance of the crowd pleaser “I’ve Done Everything For You” by Rick Springfield.
SET THREE
The third set begins with a song that became a crowd favorite the instant it went into the band’s rotation, “Mississippi Queen” by Mountain. The great rocker song shows off the band’s power throughout.
After a run though the ZZ Top cover “I Thank You,” where there just may be an alternate version sung in the last line by Howell, The Voodoo Gypsies take their swing at grunge and hit it out of the park with the Stone Temple Pilots hit “Interstate Love Song.”
The Gypsies switch gears and go back into the 1960s with the Cream classic “White Room.” With Valentino’s thunderous drums throughout, this is truly one song you definitely want to see the band perform.
The Rolling Stones are next on the hit parade with “Brown Sugar,” and then the Bad Company song “Ready For Love,” follows. The band may slow it down a bit with the second selection, but Ritoli’s solo on “Ready For Love” keeps the place rocking.
In a pleasant surprise for the country fans in the audience, Lautenier steps back up to the microphone for the Garth Brooks smash “Friends In Low Places,” before the band does a complete 180 with “When I Come Around” by Green Day.
The band played an old blues song made famous by Aerosmith called “Walking The Dog” then the band again pays homage to Gainesville’s favorite rocker “Tom Petty” with the song “Running Down a Dream.”
The night ends with another classic 80’s hit, “Working For The Weekend” by Loverboy.
The Voodoo Gypsies are like the weather in Florida. If they aren’t playing one of your favorite tunes at the moment, give it five minutes and it will change to one that is.
So if classic rock is something you enjoy and want to see it performed live at a high level, this is the band for you.