Concert Review: Lespecial and Leon Trout at The Met in Pawtucket, R.I.

Joanna Gleason
4 days ago
2 min read

Fri, Dec 26, 2025, The Met in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, welcomed Leon Trout and Lespecial. The sold-out show was exceptional. With the freezing temperature and heavy snow, people from all over New England attended the live music event.

A late-night show, the concert started at 9:00 p.m. with Leon Trout, a four-piece jam influenced rock band based out of Boston. With songs mixing hard rock, funk, psychedelic rock and a drop of reggae tossed in there, Leon Trout offered the public the perfect mix of foot stompers and head bangers.

Known for creating their own cover mashups with seamless transitions from one song to another, the group has changed direction with their latest album, Paradigm. Composed of Roger Dumaine (drums), Jimmy Geikie (guitar, vocals), Same Sloknick (bass), and Aaron Cram (guitar, lead vocals) Trout has shared the stage with larger known bands such as Kung Fu, Bella’s Bartok, and others.

At 10:30 p.m. Lespecial hit the stage. The Connecticut based “heavy future groove” power trio known for blending metal, funk, electronic, and jazz with complex rhythms received a huge acclamation from several hundreds of fans who attended the event which was part of the band 2025 National Tour to promote their release album Odd Times.

Odd Times is the group’s fourth full-length album since 2015. The album is an enigmatic and compelling musical project that explores the ever-changing nature of time amidst isolation. With heavy riffs, tribal drumming and hints of levity, it’s a captivating journey crafted in collaboration with Havok's David Sanchez.

Lespecial's shows during the entire tour have been fantastic, as a result, their fan base is growing. At The Met, the ambiance was incredibly phenomenal. People were singing, dancing, drinking, and enjoying a good night of terrific music.

A rock trio known for their songwriting talent, with tracks like Fruit Old Dance, The Vessel, Onlockers, Jackwise, and Absolutely Stunning, Lespecial was formed in the mid--2000s in Connecticut. The band’s members are Jonathan Grusauskas (guitar, synth sampler, vocals), Luke Bemand (bass, Synth, Sampler, vocals), and Rory Dolan (drums, sampler, percussion, vocals). Cited influences included Medeski Martin & Woods, Radiohead, The Mars Volta and Umphrey’s McGee.

As a jam band, Lespecial is known to play variations of pre-existing songs, extending them to improvise over chord patterns or rhythmic grooves. Like other successful jam bands like the Grateful Dead, Gov’t Mule, The Allman Brothers, Goose. Moe and Tedeschi Trucks, they are also known for having a very fluid structure, playing long-sets of music which often cross genre boundaries, varying their nightly setlists, and segueing from one song into another without a break.

At The Met, Lespecial has created these unique and improvisational shows that blended rock, folk, blues, and psychedelia, fostering a legendary touring community. Known for energetic live shows, the group is regarded as one of New England’s top jam bands. Their live music performances in Pawtucket, RI, have proved it. They were fantastic.