Beads, celebration, and especially good music are Mardi Gras traditions. Galactic brought these traditions to New York’s Terminal 5 just a few days after Mardi Gras and the release of their new album Carnivale Electricos, a celebration of their New Orleans heritage.

New Orleans’ brass band, the Soul Rebels, started the night with their electrifying horns and the pulsating rhythm of the snare and bass drums. The band started off with a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Living For The City,” followed by “Turn It Up” from their new album Unlock Your Mind. The band continued with new material like “My Time,” which features MC-style singing and rapping from trombone player Corey Peyton. Lastly, the Soul Rebels finished with a cover of the 1980’s hit “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These).”

In exciting fashion, lead singer David Hinds of Steel Pulse ran onstage with the rest of the band playing behind him. The band played to “Roller Skates,” while the band and audience sang “Life without music; I can’t go!” Hinds spoke proudly between songs about Steel Pulse’s long run of over thirty-five year as well as Jamaica’s independence. The band finished up with “Steppin’ Out,” while one woman threw money onstage.

After a short break, the NOLA quintet jumped right into the music. The band featured fellow NOLA native Corey Henry, trombonist of the Rebirth Brass Band. Henry added some extra soul and brilliant jabs throughout the night. It wasn’t before long that Living Colour front man, Corey Glover, came out. Glover accompanied the band on new material from Carnivale Electricos, including a blistering version of “Hey Na Na.” Galactic focused a lot on the new album. During “Karate,” the band called up the Soul Rebels, which segued into a battle between saxophonist Ben Ellman and the Rebels’ saxophonist, Erion Williams. A clever rendition of “Boe Money” was another highlight of the night, which featured a tease of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The band also did many impressive covers later in the set, with “Kashmir” and “Cult of Personality” sung by Glover. To cap it off, Galactic, appropriately enough, played “Ash Wednesday Sunrise” to mark the end of its post-Mardi Gras celebration.