Andy Frasco & The U.N. Kick Off Their East Coast Tour At Union Stage

On Wednesday, December 1st, an otherwise quiet night on Washington DC's Wharf, Andy Frasco & The U.N. came to Union Stage to create a very memorable night of music to a near-capacity audience. 

Andy and his band create a unique one-of-a-kind performance each night akin to the best roller coaster ride experience one can imagine. Be forewarned; make sure that you are adequately strapped into your Frasco Roller Coaster Harness and ready for an incredible ride  of entertainment and music! 

Just like the thrill you get from an amusement park ride, Andy Frasco & The U.N. shows are enjoyable every second and every moment of the concert. When the ride ends, concertgoers are left with an ear-to-ear smile and yet only remembers fragments of the experience - because our brains can only absorb so much awesomeness in one evening. As you recollect the show, one experience after another will come back, and the smile of the performance washes over you anew. 

Andy Frasco & The U.N. is known not only for their ferociously energetic performance energy but also for guest sit-ins, improvisations, and the most delightful shenanigans you will witness on a stage. If you look at each musician during the performance, you will notice genuine laughter and the joyous interplay between one another. Likewise, it is not difficult to spot a smile or light-hearted interaction between band members during the show. Each performance is unique and created spontaneously in front of an audience, and this band's euphoric appearance at Union Stage was no different!

Try as we might to adequately describe an Andy Frasco & The U.N. performance in a traditional way, we thought it would be better to list off the highlights of their Union Stage performance. For those at Union Stage we hope this partial list triggers wonderful memories, and for those who were not able to attend, let it illustrate the type of performance you may witness on any given night.

At Union Stage concert goers were treated to:

• A retired United States Marine joined the band on stage to perform on Frasco's piano
• Not one, but two, band instrument changes. A very entertaining guitar solo highlighted the instrument changes by drummer Andee Avila as his eyes were covered by Floyd Kellogg (bass). Each musician is incredibly talented in their primary instrument but are also very gifted in one or more of the other instruments concertgoers see them play in a given evening.
• Alex "Gator" Petropulos of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong made a guest appearance and sat-in for one song. 
• Abundant song tempo changes. A perfect example was when Frasco shouted mid-song "reggae," and the band rapidly adapted the performance of that song to a reggae beat. You never know how a performance or even an individual song will play out - especially as Frasco orchestrates the dynamic performance.
• A euphoric sax-off between Ernie Chang and opening act Nick Gerlach.
• During the evening there were animated cover of "Kiss Off" by the Violent Femmes, "Livin' On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi, "This Must Be The Place" by Talking Heads, "I Fought The Law (And The Law Won)" by The Bobby Fuller Four, "Killing In the Name" by Rage Against The Machine, and a cover of a Stone Temple Pilots song amongst others. A typical performance by Andy Frasco & The U.N. can be summarized by "You know that song, that best song we love and have not heard in a while? Yeah, they played that at that show too!"
• In celebration of Hannukah, Andy Frasco walked into the crowd to lead the audience in a giant and memorable hora. Although audience members required masks, Frasco lovingly announced, "hold your breath, so you don't get COVID."

The only groan of the night occurred when Frasco announced that "I'm going to play until they kick me out of this state." Noticing that something was off Shawn Eckles (guitar) was quick to whisper something into Frasco's ear, to which Frasco announced that he would not leave the “District” until the authorities kicked him out. Throughout the evening, Frasco repeatedly expressed how grateful he was that a capacity showed up for his performance and told the audience how he would make sure that they would come back to Washington DC as often as he could. Frasco's promise was greeted by a very enthusiastic response from the crowd!

At the tail end of the evening's festivities, Frasco told the audience that the band has been touring hard for several weeks now, performing six nights a week and that this band performing on stage was "their white picket fence." Based on the enthusiasm from the crowd, it would appear that there is no white picket fence that they would spend their days dancing in. Until their next appearance, we should all take Frasco's advice, live life to its fullest because we do not know what the future holds - and as always, Keep On Keeping On.