If you have never caught a show at Buffalo Iron Works, here is what pulls people back: the room itself. A converted factory in Buffalo’s Cobblestone District, 500 capacity, with original wood floors underfoot, old wooden beams repurposed as the service bar, and an overhead pulley system still hanging from the ceiling like the building is proud of where it came from. It is exactly the kind of room that makes a band want to play loud and a crowd want to move.
On Wednesday, October 21, Wolfman Jack comes back to Buffalo Iron Works — the venue’s own event listing tags this as their fourth appearance here, which is a pretty good endorsement of how these shows play in this room.
Wolfman Jack is a seven-piece ensemble out of New England, and their whole focus is the Grateful Dead’s earliest era — what they call “Primal Dead,” the years from 1965 to 1972 when the band was still finding the edges of what a live performance could be. The lineup includes two guitarists, bass, drums, piano and B3 organ, a dedicated vocalist, and vocals-and-harp. This is not a stripped-down tribute act. The band is explicit about Pigpen’s influence on their sound, and they model their performances after the legendary rooms of that era: the Fillmore West, the Avalon Ballroom, Carousel Ballroom, Winterland. They call themselves a true dance band, and at 500 capacity with the right floors under your feet, Buffalo Iron Works is exactly the room to test that claim.
The Cobblestone District is worth arriving early for — walkable, interesting, and a good neighborhood to settle into before an 8:00 PM show. The industrial character of the space itself, with exposed structure and original floors still intact, suits a band playing music that was born in similarly raw and unconventional settings.
Show starts at 8:00 PM. Tickets from $20.00. All ages.