The Big Takeover captivates the crowd at Woodstock's Bearsville Theater

The Big Takeover is probably a lot bigger than its members know.

This New Paltz-based reggae/rocksteady/ska band has gained a devoted legion of fans in the years since they began performing, many of whom followed the group to the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock on Sat. Feb. 19 for a show to celebrate the release of their latest CD, “Tale of My Life.”

The sextet — comprised of Rob Kissner (bass), Sam Tritto (drums), Jon Klenck (guitar),
Chas Montrose (sax), Andrew Vogt (trombone, flute) and Jamaican-born Nee Nee Rushie on lead vocals — blew away the packed crowd with a 19-song set (plus encores) highlighting tunes off the new album, a few older originals and classic reggae covers.

The show began with a mood-setting, upbeat instrumental groove, to which singer Rushie made a stunning entrance, strutting out onstage in a lavender fringed getup and glittering stilettos that would make Tina Turner jealous.

The album’s title track was played early in the show; a high-energy dancealong with shoulder-shaking basslines and an exciting horn section that complements Rushie’s sweet-yet-brassy vocals. And by this time, just a few songs in, the untamable crowd was almost as much fun to watch as the band: There’s a breakdancer; a man air-swimming past the stage; people of all ages jumping, smiling and forgetting their cares; and an adorable little girl in a fairy costume who made her way onstage, swaying and twirling with a (real) puppy in her arms.

Entranced by the sound, when Rushie says “Everybody dance!” everybody dances. When she announces an upcoming ballad, saying, “If you see that girl you’ve been trying to dance with all night, ask her now;” swarms of couples heighten their intimacy on the dancefloor.

A cover of Beres Hammond’s “One Dance” elicited the strongest singalong, but the band’s originals pleased listeners just as much. “Summertime in the Ghetto” represents that balmy season well, through a reggaeton backbeat and a Caribbean/Latin-tinged groove that could’ve melted the ice outside the venue.

Before the band exited the stage, the audience was already shouting for an encore. The group returned promptly to serve a three-song dessert with as much energy as they began with. The band said goodnight, Rushie’s stilettos promptly came off, and the crowd snapped out of their trance as the lights faded on. The Big Takeover lived up to their name.

Visit www.bigtakeoverband.com for future tour dates.