Vulfpeck - Madison Square Garden 2025

Vulfpeck returned to Madison Square Garden in New York City on September 13, 2025, for their second headlining appearance at the legendary arena. The Michigan-bred funk group had last played the Garden in 2019, and their return showed just how far the band had come since that first sold-out appearance.

The concert was a nearly two-hour celebration of Vulfpeck's quirky, tightly arranged brand of funk, soul, R&B, and instrumental groove music. The band took the stage at 8:45 p.m. and played until approximately 10:40, packing 26 musical segments into the performance.

The opening was particularly unusual. Vulfpeck began with Bach's “Contrapunctus I” before moving into “Big Dipper,” “Matter of Time,” and “In Real Life.” That combination immediately demonstrated the band's willingness to mix serious musicianship with the playful personality that has become a major part of its live identity.

The set continued with “Sauna,” “Lonely Town,” “Tender Defender,” “Memories,” “1612,” “Simple Step,” and “3 on E.” The Cory Wong song “Memories” and the Groove Spoon cover “Simple Step” added to a setlist that refused to follow the normal rules of a major arena concert.

One of the evening's highlights was “Tokyo Night,” performed with Evangeline. Another came when legendary drummer Bernard “Pretty” Purdie joined the band for “My First Car” and Al Green's “Simply Beautiful.” Purdie's appearance was especially appropriate given Vulfpeck's deep appreciation for classic funk and soul musicianship.

The guest appearances continued with Charles Jones, who sang on John Lennon's “Jealous Guy” and Vulfpeck's “Baby I Don't Know Oh Oh.” Theo Katzman also got his hometown moment with Billy Joel's “Movin' Out (Anthony's Song),” a particularly fun choice considering Katzman's Long Island roots.

The second half of the concert settled into a string of Vulfpeck favorites, including “Can You Tell,” “LAX,” “This Is Not the Song I Wrote,” “New Beastly,” “Wait for the Moment,” and “Back Pocket.” The latter was one of the night's biggest crowd-pleasers, with the Garden audience fully embracing the band's infectious grooves.

The encore delivered exactly what longtime fans wanted. “Dean Town” brought the main performance to a thunderous conclusion, followed by the brief “Fast Dean Town”/“Welcome to Vulf Records” finale. The band's official MSG II live release later preserved the complete September 13 performance, making the concert available as both an album and concert film.

The reaction from fans was overwhelmingly enthusiastic, although some attendees criticized the sound mix from certain sections of the arena. Others praised the musicianship, special guests, dancing, and overall atmosphere. That split actually says something about the unusual nature of a Vulfpeck arena show: the music is precise enough that longtime listeners notice every detail, while the band's goofy personality keeps the experience from ever becoming overly serious.

For Vulfpeck, the 2025 Madison Square Garden concert was another major milestone. A band that once built its reputation around minimalist funk recordings and internet-era creativity had once again filled one of the world's most famous arenas. With Bernard Purdie, Evangeline, Charles Jones, a stack of unexpected covers, and nearly two hours of ridiculously tight grooves, Vulfpeck's return to MSG proved that instrumental funk could be every bit as exciting on an arena-sized stage.