Earlier this year, The Atlantis opened its doors to a jaw dropping forty-four all-star performance grand opening series, beginning with an explosive opening night on May 30th by none other than the Foo Fighters and ending on September 29th with Maggie Rogers.

Picking the first performance beyond the initial lineup was no easy task, but The Atlantis selected the perfect artist to kick off the next chapter in The Atlantis' history by choosing none other than Andy Frasco & the U.N. on October 1, 2023. The initial series of shows was picked by lottery, and only 20,000 tickets were allotted from the half a million ticket requests. This would be the first night the casual ticket buyer could experience this magnificent new venue, and tickets almost immediately sold out.

Any Andy Frasco & the U.N. performance is an energetic and electrifying experience that combines elements of rock, funk, blues, and soul with a heavy dose of humor and audience interactions. One might best describe a performance by Frasco and his rapscallions as an out-of-control circus of pure ecstasy and joyful frenetic energy unleashed on stage.

Before Frasco took to the stage, his friends from Brooklyn, New York, would perform - Cool Cool Cool. This band is a seven-piece funk and R&B band that took up the full breadth of The Atlantis' small and intimate stage. Cool Cool Cool commanded this musical pulpit, powering out funky grooves with a deep horn section and brilliant vocals. After a blistering 40 minutes, Cool Cool Cool would end their performance with a thundering version of "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac.

Slightly after 9 PM Andy Frasco & the U.N. took the stage to thundering applause. Alongside Andrew Frasco (lead vocals, keys), Ernie Chang (saxophone), Shawn Eckels (guitar, vocals), Andee "Beats" Avila (drums, vocals), and Floyd Kellogg (bass guitar) enthusiastically jumped on stage, fully enjoying the roar of the crowd. The performance would begin much like any of their performances - unpredictability and joyous improvisation.

Several instruments were without power, and as a tour roadie and road manager furiously identified the faulty connections, Frasco quickly adjusted the performance to ensure that their typical all-out frenetic pandemonium of a performance would ensue. Frasco acknowledged this was the first ticketed show, and he said triumphantly, "Let's christen this bitch," and a short time later, he handed his microphone to a young child in the front row who announced, "Let the games begin!"

Frasco would spend the evening performing once again like this was his last day on earth, and he was going to throw the best party anyone could hope for.

With a thousand fleeting memories of joyful euphoria and emotion, we remember this.

• Despite the venue being a brand-new building, Frasco's raucous performance had the walls physically shaking and the brand-new floors were literally bouncing from all the enthusitic dancing.

Songs:

• "I Want To Break Free" by Queen.
  
• "Pour Some Sugar On Me" by Def Leppard.
•  "Vasoline" by Stone Temple Pilots.
• "Ramble On" by Led Zeppelin sung by Shawn Eckles
• "Slow Ride" by Foghat. 
• A debut of a new song written the day before to which Frasco said, "So if it sucks, forget about it... We are like Phish. We write a new song and just play it."
• "Waiting Room" by Fugazi sung by Floyd Kellogg. A fitting tribute to his favorite D.C. band. It is worth noting that Fugazi was a staple at the original 9:30 Club, for which The Atlantis is modeled on. 
• "We're an American Band" by Grand Funk Railroad.  Frasco would end the show by stating, "Cause we are in DC, let's play this!"
  

Moments:

• Frasco dived into the crowd with a bottle of Jameson in hand as he swam to the soundboard and back again.
• Frasco yelled, "Let's keep this party going, we need to christen this bitch" followed by him jumping into the crowd with a celebratory Hora.
  
• While there were not any local performers sitting in with tonight's performance, Frasco drew upon the horn and vocalists from Cool Cool Cool to join him on stage.