Jammy Eggs: That's Just The Way It Is
It's Thursday, October 2nd. On a crisp night that finally feels like fall in DC, the 9:30 Club begins to fill. Photographer, and friend, Jonathan Nevius invites me to accompany him to see Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, with special guest, Eggy.
After a long and stressful week at work, anything social seemed like a necessary respite and I’ll never turn down an opportunity to see someone that accompanied Jerry Garcia and Grateful Dead. With expectations fairly low, knowing Bruce mainly as the mind behind “The Way It Is” and the Dead’s talented bridge between Brent and Vince, I was mostly just tagging along for the experience of it all.
What I received instead was far from a simple experience, it was an awakening.
The 9:30 Club was already fairly full by the time we got in at 7:45. Eggy was due to go on at 8, so we grabbed an empanada (delicious by the way @9:30 Club), and got situated in the left wing of the venue. 9:30 Club feels like a younger sibling to DC’s The Anthem; with one less floor, but all the same mechanics, the balcony filled up fast, and downstairs GA was following suit quickly. Promptly at 8 o’clock, Jake, Dani, Mike, and Alex, more commonly known as ‘Eggy’ took the stage. Eggy was last at the 9:30 club in February of 2020, a month before the pandemic changed live music, and us all, forever. Though they had paid a visit to DC since then, in April of 2023 at Pearl Street Warehouse, they seemed thrilled to be back at 9:30 club.
Having seen Goose a few times, observing Trey Anastasio and Phish from afar, and being head over heels for all things Dead, I was excited to see what this Jam Band of Millennials was all about. Their stage set up is unconventional for any jam band I’ve seen, each member is next to one another at the front of the stage.
Yet, after realizing why, I begin to wonder why others don’t do exactly the same.
They did all of their predecessors great justice.
The jams were immersive and spry, the communication between one another was akin to watching the ‘79 Showtime Lakers make their way down the court and score effortlessly.
Some of my least favorite parts of new-age jam band music is unfortunately, the vocals. I’m usually gritting my teeth until the jams come back around, but with Eggy, and all four of its members taking turns on vocals, I was pleasantly surprised and find myself captivated with understanding the lyrics.
With sit ins from several of the noisemakers including, Lead Guitarist Gibb Droll, Violinist John Mailander, and even Bruuuuuuuce! himself, it was a wonderful example of true Jam Band culture with all players doing their thing and accompanying one another as each took turns in the driver's seat.
The camaraderie that these musicians across both bands have developed over the last few weeks on tour is palpable in the room and it was wonderful to see that they were all enjoying and smiling just as much as we were.
Eggy’s 45 minute set felt both like a full show, and not nearly long enough. When it was over, I saw at least 5 people around me (mainly older, likely Bruce fans) turn around, look at their neighbor, and say some variation of “Damn! They were really good!” in a surprised tone, that quickly seemed to land as assurance that the scene was going to be alright before it finished escaping their mouth.
In the 30 minutes between the two sets, the energy in the room was buzzing. Folks were energized from Eggy’s set but eager to see the legend himself take the stage again with his bandmates. The venue somehow continued to fill up, and chatter carried through the venue with the most common words heard being “excuse me”, “sorry”, “just trying to-“, “yeah my friends are over there sorry”, standard concert musings as folks crowded the front of the stage.
We were already aware that members of Eggy would sit in as honorary noisemakers, but it was very interesting to see the stage set up take shape as Eggy members didn’t remove their instruments from the stage but just moved them around to make room for the noisemakers. Again, not conventional: no lead vocalist in the center, but rather a semi circle with center stage open. This felt more personal, intimate, and like the crowd was a part of the experience at the center of it all.
When the lights finally dimmed and the 70 year old arrived at his keys again, the room filled with the signature bellows of “Bruuuuuuuuce” that have followed Hornsby throughout his career. The next 90 minutes could be described as nothing short of excellence in craft complemented by a genuine appreciation for what was happening in the room. Each musician knowing their role and executing it perfectly to uplift Bruce while enjoying their time in the spotlight during intertwining solos.
Not being too familiar with Hornsby’s solo catalog turned out to be a benefit. Each song came with a sense of shock at how much I was enjoying what I was hearing. A consistent eye squint paired with a bob and weave that just wouldn’t quit. Patrons around me were swaying, smiling, fist-pumping, and everything in between.
Bruce Hornsby certainly is a star, even after nearly 40 years of his ascent to fame.
To carry us through a bluegrass interlude towards the middle of the show, Bruce takes to center stage wielding a dulcimer - an Appalachian string instrument - with Mailander on mandolin and Drummer Sonny Emory scraping and tapping on a washboard. This is a real treat, because it feels even more intimate even in this mid size venue. Bruce is taking some requests, and exposing us all to some of his deep cuts as, in his words “[we] all deserve to hear them” and I was honored to.
Before the night meanders its way to the end, Bruce begins to solo stomp on his keys in a seemingly nonsensical way, until you realize where it’s headed… the showstopper: ‘The Way It Is’, but not in the way it usually is. No, this was much more than the 1986 hit radio single, made even more famous as the beat for Tupac’s 1998 classic, ‘Changes’. This was something special. Bruce and the Noisemakers now had everyone in the building bobbing and weaving, jumping and flailing, and smiling to no end as he jammed through and through again each of the song's incredible instrumentals. It felt surreal to see such a happy group of people in 2025’s Washington DC.
The night ended with Eggy coming back out for a ballad and another tune, but the crowd seemed like they could’ve gone all night long with Bruce if he’d have them.
Truly, a remarkable night of classic American music with an energy that felt nostalgic and pure in a time where those sentiments are more important than ever.
Eggy, The Noisemakers, and of course BRUUUUUUUUUCE! put on more than quite the show - and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel compelled to buy a shirt before leaving.