Concert Review: The Elovaters at MGM Music Hall at Fenway, Boston

Joanna Gleason
4 hours ago
4 min read

The Elovaters performed at MGM Music Hall at Fenway, Boston, with special guests including SixFoxWhiskey, Jarv, and Afroman. The Elovaters performed for two nights during their Sunburn Tour 2026. The first night, on Friday January 30, 2026, was an incredible night of music. Almost five thousand enthusiastic fans attended the concert. The audience loved every minute of this excellent show.

The first opener was SixFoxWhiskey. A jazzy funk-rock quintet out of Boston, the band is composed of Brad Moreno - Guitar / Vocals / Keys, Tyler Davis - Drums / Vocals, Thomas Yannopoulos - Bass / Vocals, Dan Felix - Saxophone / Vocals.

“We’ll play for free, we’ll play if no one’s listening, we just want to play,” says drummer Tyler Davis. Thankfully, people are listening. SixFoxWhiskey earned spots at major festivals like Levitate Music & Arts Festival, Rhode Island Music & Arts Festival, and Strangecreek.

Sharing the stage with several big names, SixFoxWhiskey’s unique mix of jazz, jam, funk, and rock has made them one of New England’s fastest-growing bands.

Brooklyn-based MC / Producer, Jarv was honored to be the second of the openers. Growing up in Windsor, Vermont, Jarv developed a love of Hip-Hop at a very young age. He started making music in 2009 and put out his first official release “Jarvage Vol 1” in 2016. He has since released four full-length projects, garnered millions of streams and YouTube views, and has toured with many other successful bands. At MGM Music Hall Jarv was great. The artist was closely connected to the fans who repeated every word of each song.

The last opener for the night was Afroman. An American rapper and singer, Afroman began writing songs and handing them out to his friends on cassette while in the eighth grade. At 25 years old, he released his first album, 1999’s Sell Your Dope. Soon after, he moved from LA to Mississippi. With his strong presence on stage, Joseph Afroman filled the audience with several hits particularly his song “Because I got high” where the artist explained the consequences of smoking marijuana. The lyrics describe how he messed up his life, lost his family, and ended up on the streets because he got high.

At 9:45 p.m. The Elovaters, as the headliner, hit the stage. Founded in 2014 in Marshfield, Massachusetts, the band formerly known as The Cornerstone is now a 9-member reggae rock group loved in Boston's music scene and gaining popularity nationwide At MGM Music Hall, the group performed with musicians Jackson Wetherbee (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), John Alves (lead guitar), Matt Link (bass), Nick Asta (drums), Derrick Cabral (percussion), and Greg Nectow (keyboard).

For occasional performances, like the one at MGM Music Hall, the band is augmented with a superb section of brass players, featuring Simon D’Souza on tenor sax, Claire Matthews on alto sax, Paul Satchwell on trombone, and Jane Stimpson on Trumpet.

With his energy and his experimental and captivating voice, Jackson Wetherbee, the front man for The Elovaters, wearing a white Boston Red Sox Jersey, amazed thousands of fans of alternative and reggae music at this concert. It was a world class performance with different songs selected from different albums.

The Elovaters were featured as one of many reggae bands on Collie Buddz riddim album, Cali Roots Riddim 2020 with their single, "Sensimilla," which was produced by Collie Buddz and mixed by Stick Fugure's touring guitarist, producer Jonnhy Cosmic.In 2018, The Elovaters won the annual Surf Roots TV & Radio fans-choice “Album of the Year” with their Defy Gravity album.

The Elovaters have quickly become a household name for lovers of Sublime, Jack Johnson, Slightly Stoopid, G. Love, Stick Figure, The Movement, and more. They won Artist Of the Year, and Live Act of The Year in the 2022 New England Music Awards.

Their music has been featured on CBS’ Hawaii Five-O and their song “Boston” was played during the World Series Parade when the Boston Red Sox won in 2018. Several of The Elovaters songs are in heavy rotation on SiriusXM’s “No Shoes Radio,” “Margaritaville,” and “The Spectrum,” and they are currently touring in North America and the Pacific Islands in support of their 2023 full-length album ENDLESS SUMMER.

Resuming the success of the group, Greg Nectow, the keyboardist, said during an interview: “To be successful at anything in this life, you have to be persistent and keep your head held high or elevated. Defying the odds and hailing from a spot largely considered NOT to be a 'Reggae Mecca', Boston's South Shore-based The Elovaters have bashed that stereotype:”

For their live performance at MGM Music Hall, on Saturday 30, the atmosphere was electrifying. It was so great to see so many people dancing, singing and listening to their favorite band The Elovaters. The group was outstanding and among the season's best concerts.