Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-11-04
Legendary New Orleans bassist and founding member of The Meters, George Porter Jr., will bring his Runnin' Pardners to Boulder's Fox Theatre on Sunday, March 7, 2027, as part of the venue's 35th anniversary celebration. The performance promises an evening of deep New Orleans grooves, improvisation, and the unmistakable funk that has defined Porter's remarkable career for more than six decades.
Tickets go on sale Friday, November 6, 2026, at 10 a.m. MT. General admission and reserved rail seated tickets will be available through the official ticketing page.
Prolific New Orleans bassist George Porter Jr. released a new instrumental album entitled Porter's Pocket with his longstanding quartet, the Runnin' Pardners, available via Color Red. Porter Jr. is joined by his longtime collaborator, keyboardist Michael Lemmler (Jubilation, TriFunctA), drummer Terrence Houston (The Funky Meters, Toubab Krewe), and newest member Chris Adkins (Raphael Saadiq, Marc Broussard) on guitar.
Porter was a founding member of The Meters and a lifelong session musician, notably acting as Allen Toussaint's go-to bass player throughout the '60s and '70s. Declared by Pitchfork as "one of the greatest bass players who has ever lived," and consistently finding himself atop rankings from Bass Player Magazine and Rolling Stone, Porter was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 for his influential work with New Orleans funk progenitors The Meters.
"Tito's Dumpling Machine" has all the qualities that rare-groove vinyl crate diggers have always looked for from Porter. Drum breaks galore, a syncopated New Orleans pocket, and a funky Hammond organ lead will more than scratch the old-school Meters itch. Porter Jr. allows his Runnin' Pardners band to really drive the track while George does what he does best: holding down the rhythm.
The song starts with a drum groove straight out of Uptown New Orleans circa 1970, which would appear an odd choice for the lead single off a record, but as Porter puts it, "My attitude has always been that the drummer defines where the song goes and so I really enjoy letting a drummer set up the tune."
Along with leading his own band and collaborating with superstars such as Robert Palmer, Patti LaBelle, Tori Amos, and members of the Grateful Dead, among others, Porter's career could also be tracked by a lineage of great drummers he has played with, including The Meters' Zigaboo Modeliste, Russell Batiste Jr., and, most recently, Terrence Houston.
An innovator of funky music, Porter gives credit to his hometown: "Before there was 'funk' as people call it, New Orleans musicians always had a way of using rhythm in a way nobody else was. I am just a student of Earl King and George French and that musical school and somewhere along the way, people out there decided it was 'funk.'"
Porter Jr. & Runnin' Pardners continue to perform a weekly residency in New Orleans at the renowned local favorite Maple Leaf Bar, in addition to an extensive touring schedule across the country at tastemaker venues and festivals. Last winter, the band was hand-selected to open a two-night run supporting The Black Crowes at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York.
With his deep connections to New Orleans funk, the Grateful Dead family, and generations of improvisational musicians, Porter remains one of the most influential bassists in American music. His upcoming appearance at the Fox Theatre offers Boulder audiences another opportunity to experience that legacy in the intimate setting of one of Colorado's beloved live music venues.
GEORGE PORTER JR. & RUNNIN' PARDNERS
FOX THEATRE 35TH ANNIVERSARY
Sunday, March 7, 2027
Fox Theatre
1135 13th Street, Boulder, CO
Doors: 6:00 p.m. | Show: 7:00 p.m.
General Admission | Reserved Rail Seated Tickets
All Ages (Under 16 With an Adult)
Tickets On Sale Friday, November 6, 2026, at 10 a.m. MT
Tickets & Event Information
