Dogs in a Pile returned to the well-known Stone Pony to headline their Summer Stage for the very first time on August 31, 2025. The venue sits in the parking lot next door to the Asbury Park, NJ club. This Labor Day Weekend show drew one of the largest crowds that the band has seen to date, which is exciting news for this emerging jam rock artist. Members of the Ocean Avenue Stompers brass band joined them during the first set onstage. Low Cut Connie provided support.
The show began with the Philadelphia, PA based Low Cut Connie, led by pianist and singer Adam Weiner. His dynamic stage presence found him dancing around the stage, on speakers and on top of the piano. The Ocean Avenue Stompers made their first appearance by joining the band for tunes like "Hot Legs" by Rod Stewart and "Get It On" by T. Rex. Their set rolled on with plenty of good-time rock and roll originals and covers, and ended as the sky delivered a heated pink and orange sunset.
Dogs in a Pile stepped on stage for their first set, and initiated with a mellow "Didn't You Know?", that included plenty of guitarist Jimmy Law's soulful vocals. The seventies retro original "Burning Daylight" followed, which included a stellar jazz-inspired bass driven section from bassist Sam Lucid. A raging segue followed into the deep funk stylings of "Dangers of Rah Rah." This ten-minute jam drove into an ambient funk jam layered with dynamic beats from drummer Joey Babbick. A breezy "Lazy Susan" grew some teeth as the jam started to heat up, before fizzling out.
The band greeted the crowd and welcomed three members of the Ocean Avenue Stompers to the stage. This brass band from Asbury Park, NJ is a well-known local favorite at the Stone Pony. They elevated "My Disguise", sung and written by keyboardist Jeremy Kaplan, by bringing a New Orleans vibe to this zippy jam rock tune.
The smooth funk rolled on into "Truck Rum," which included the horn section adeptly decorating the song. This gave way to tasty guitar shredding by Law, followed by a jazz inspired section led by the horns and bass. The quintet announced a "Happy Birthday" to Billy, before mentioning they would play one more song before the set break with the Ocean Avenue Stompers. Thankfully for the fans, the upbeat "Let U Go" led into a short but sweet "EDM Song," which ended the set on a vibrant note.
Set two began with "The Bag," which started out soft, but gathered intensity as the vocals wound down. Kaplan shined for a few moments on the organ before the guitar went dark, and the tune flowed into a fourteen-minute "Tillie." Drummer Joey Babbick unleashed dynamically changing beats as Kaplan matched him during this ear pleasing intro. The song transitioned into an edgier section that included vocals from both guitarists Brian Murray and Law, and eventually unfurled a fun blues rock groove that had the fans dancing.
The music rolled into an intense "Look Johnny," from their 2021 release Not Your Average Beagle. The beat slowed down after the vocals, offering a much needed chill moment in the set. All five members brought their A game as they dialed up the energy leading into the up-tempo "Look Johnny II." An electrified "Go Set" followed, with Murray crushing the stellar vocals. This launched into a layered disco funk jam that headed straight into a quick instrumental "Dancing in the Streets" before returning to "Go Set." The set ended with a fiery "Chop Shop."
The band stepped off stage, and returned as the fans cheered. They thanked their crew before getting dirty one more time with Rage Against the Machine's "Bulls on Parade." Lucid contributed vocals and sounded surprisingly like original singer, Zack de la Rocha. Kaplan stepped in on bass for this memorable cover.
Murray announced that they needed help with the next song, and summoned video director Kieran Tooker to step on stage. The band then asked him what "tookin'" is all about, and he replied "having a good time with your friends and making memories like this one." The now sextet went into "Tookin' Around," last played in Syracuse, NY on May 25, 2025. This mostly vocal tune lyrically described the trials and tribulations of "tookin'", which was the perfect ending to this great show.
Dogs in a Pile are up next at the June Lake Jam Festival on September 7th in June Lake, CA, followed by the Bender Jamboree on September 10-12th in Las Vegas. The California run continues with dates in Novato, Nevada City, Pioneertown, and West Hollywood. In October, the boys head East once again, including a sure to be legendary Halloween run with shows in Charlotte, NC on October 30th and Roswell, GA on October 31st. They wrap in Live Oak, FL with a November 1st performance at Hulaween. From November 5th - 20th, they will take on the Windy City for their Garcia's residency in Chicago, IL. Head on over to their tour page for more details on these and more upcoming shows.
Check out more photos from Dogs in a Pile and Low Cut Connie!
Band: Dogs In A Pile
Date: August 31, 2025
Location: Asbury Park, NJ
Venue: Stone Pony Summer Stage
Set One: Didn't You Know?, Burning Daylight-> Dangers of Rah Rah, Lazy Susan, My Disguise[1], Trunk Rum[1], Let U Go[1] > EDM Song[1]
Set Two: The Bag > Tillie-> Look Johnny-> Look Johnny II, Go Set-> Dancing in the Street[2]-> Go Set > Chop Shop
Encore: Bulls on Parade[3], Tookin' Around[4]
Notes:
[1] with the Ocean Avenue Stompers
[2] Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
[3] Rage Against The Machine
[4] with Kieran Tooker on vocals
