The highly anticipated soul trio, Parlor Greens, delivered a powerful, genre-bending set deeply influenced by Motown, Stax Records, Jimi Hendrix, and just a little taste of Snoop Dogg.

Seattle-based guitarist Jimmy James came out in an African tribal outfit and was ready to groove from the first whirl of the Hammond organ with the song “In Green We Dream.”

Jimmy’s Silverton guitar roared right from the start, held down by the bass played by organist Adam Schoon and drummer Tim Carman. Each musician was in close eye contact with each other, easily moving between breaks and riffs.

The next song was “West Memphis,” which has a groove reminiscent of the Meters. There were already people shaking and dancing to the beat. Parlor Greens is stylistically similar to Delvon Lamar Trio, but where they differ is James love of jamming, breaking into Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” also dropping Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile,” with a hard, nasty style.

The trio then launched into a soul version of Dolly Parton’s masterpiece “Jolene.” The organ plays a sad main chorus, and the quickened drums make the song less of a lament and more of a memory of past days.

James switches to a Stratocaster and plays the royal blues rock phrase of “200 Dollar Blues.” His wide-mouth facial expression is as if he is pleased h “The Man Who Sold the World,” which may be better known now as Nirvana’s cover rather than David Bowie’s, and then it’s time for a wave of fun classic riffs and phrases.

After the return of the phrase from “War Pigs,” he drops Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and rushes into the explosive part of the chorus! Just when you think it’s about to explode, he stops short. After playing the riff of Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze,” they started with The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” Naturally, an enthusiastic chorus broke out, and it was a moment that made us realize that we were at Fuji Rock!

After that, they played that part of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” strumming it with their teeth and rubbing the strings against the microphone stand. I can still vividly remember the thunderous cheers that hit my ears after they had entertained the audience to the fullest. This was definitely the most exciting part of the night.

After “Driptorch,” where the three musicians’ skilled and original sounds collide as if they were each playing a solo, they ended the set with a comfortable “My Sweet Lord” by George Harrison, with its light and funky organ touch. At the end, they took a commemorative photo amidst loud cheers and left the stage with smiles on their faces.

With their first performance in Japan being a great success, the Parlour Greens will definitely draw a big crowd at Field Heaven tomorrow evening at 5:10pm. What’s more, they’re scheduled to perform for twice as long as today. Don’t miss it!