Neighbor at the Cabot Theatre in Beverly, MA

Feb 283 min read

On February 23, 2025, The Cabot Theater in Beverly, MA, welcomed Neighbor. The concert was organized in honor of Lyle Brewer, co-founder and lead guitar player. Brewer decided to step away from touring. It was his last show with the band, and the moment was a very emotional night for all. After 6 years of touring, countless shows and a studio album, Brewer is stepping away. He will be missed but Rob Compa (Dropod), another great musician will take over.

Neighbor, the new, jam-based quartet was formed in 2017 by Pink Talking Fish keyboardist Richard James and Lyle Brewer as a side project for Ricard’s original music. Dan Kelly (bass) and Dean Johnston (drums) joined the band that was named Neighbor, for their fans. Zack Burwick eventually replaced Dead Johnson on drums.

The band started out with a residency Thunder Road and eventually toured the United States to the delight of their ever-growing supportive fans. Neighbor is definitely one of the best of Boston’s first-class national touring bands. I have seen them many times throughout the years and this show, in my opinion, was one of their best.

To open the show James and Brewer were joined by original Neighbor member’s bassist Mike Miksis and drummer Zack Burwick. They started with the song called “Taxman” and continued with “Sunday Afternoon” and “Somerville Shuffle.” Next came the tender “Mary and Martha” and well-jammed versions of “Into the Sun” and “Trippin’ in A Van.”

Neighbor played during the full second set a list of beloved songs, most of which back to 2019, such as “Lonely Rider”, "Magic Marble Crew”, and “Cucamonga Carl”. They continued with “Mighty Apple Tree”, "Pine Tree” and the “We Bid You Goodnight” to end the set.

A very special moment came when Rob Compa appeared on stage during a pause in the ensuing “Thunder Island” and Rob proceeded to play with the band.

“Hi, I’m Rob. I’m new here, this is my first day,” Compa said after “Thunder Island”. He thanked Neighbor fans for welcoming him and spoke about how much Lyle Brewer brings to the guitar community. Rob said he considers Brewer as one of the best guitarists and has been inspired by him.

Neighbor is a fantastic group. Their songwriting brings elements of Americana, Rock, Funk, Jazz, Soul and more. The jam band can go anywhere and everywhere with their music, and they certainly did. They are very close friends and a very tight band and just amazed with their improvisations. If you are a fan of Neighbor, you are a member of their family.

A Neighbor show is all about a relationship, with their fans, new or old. The band treats everyone with respect and gives the fans a smoking hot rock show with new and different music and they make sure that everyone has a fantastic time!

As a professional photographer and a fan of live music, I would say with a diverse catalog of hundreds of songs, Neighbor has become one of the most exciting and unpredictable live bands on the music scene today.

Neighbor Setlist

Set 1: Taxman, Sunday Afternoon, Somerville Shuffle, Mary and Martha, Into the Sun, Trippin' in a Van, Planet Silver