Soul Coughing is an alternative rock/electronic band from New York City that has been active during the timeframes: 1992-2000, 2024-present. Soul Coughing is comprised of Mike Doughty (vocals/guitars), Yuval Gabay (drums), Mark Degli Antoni (keyboards/sampler), and Sebastian Steinberg (bass). Soul Coughing has released three (3) LPs, six (6) singles, one (1) compilation, and six (6) live albums. I remember the first time I heard Soul Coughing; the song was “Blue Eyed Devil” off their debut album Ruby Vroom (released September 27, 1994). A friend had turned me on to them because he knew I was a fan of some eclectic musical genres. Soul Coughing’s debut album, Ruby Vroom, was ahead of its time in my opinion. Artists like DJ Shadow, Massive Attack, and Portishead were already incorporating unique samples and jazz influences with some world music thrown in for good measure. Add some inventive lyrics delivered by the tender yet grainy vocals of one Mike Doughty. And lest we forget the incredible mix of jazz, hip-hop, and drum and bass beats by multi-talented drummer and producer Yuval Gabay. This is Soul Coughing. I was fortunate to see Soul Coughing perform live in 1996 at the now-defunct venue Cotton Club in Atlanta, Georgia. And a few years later in 1998 at the Tabernacle in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.

Soul Coughing

Soul Coughing took a pause in 2000, only to reunite nearly 25 years later to the delight of fans across the globe. Let me tell you that this was a shock to most fans of the band since the breakup was deemed to be unreconcilable based on the agonizing details in Mike Doughty’s autobiography, “The Book of Drugs”. So fast forward to 2024, Soul Coughing had a mostly sold-out tour in September and October 2024 and even made a live television appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live to perform “Super Bon Bon”. Unfortunately, this tour did not come close to the Georgia area. But on December 10th, 2024, Soul Coughing announced Soul Coughing Play the Songs of Soul Coughing Again Tour during April 2025 that would come to The Eastern in Atlanta on April 12th.

For the first time, Soul Coughing took the stage at The Eastern in Atlanta, Georgia. It was their first time back in Atlanta since their last tour date on August 5th, 1999, at Heaven @ The Masquerade (R.I.P. to the original location). A fun fact about Soul Coughing tour dates that took place in the city of Atlanta, is that the band performed at my Alma mater Georgia State University on November 14th, 1994, which incidentally, was their first time performing in Atlanta. This show at Georgia State University featured songs off their debut album, Ruby Vroom, like “Bus to Beelzebub”, “White Girl”, “Is Chicago, Is not Chicago”, and “Sugar Free Jazz”. Fast forward to tonight’s show, I had high hopes to hear Soul Coughing perform a few of the songs previously mentioned live tonight at The Eastern on their Soul Coughing Play the Songs of Soul Coughing Again Tour.

Soul Coughing

Since this evening had no opening support, I felt confident that Soul Coughing would perform numerous hits from their albums Ruby Vroom, Irresistible Bliss, and El Oso. Starting the night, Soul Coughing performed “Sugar Free Jazz” from their debut album and, one of the songs I was hoping to hear performed. And then went right into another crowd-pleaser, “Blue Eyed Devil” from the same album. I could tell from the crowd of fans who were rail riding during the first three songs they were ecstatic and on cloud nine during this performance. With a nearly sold-out crowd, it made me wonder how many of the attendees had the chance to see Soul Coughing during their first tenure as a band. And how many of the attendees were getting to see Soul Coughing for the very first time? Either way, this evening was magical for both camps of fans. Witnessing Mike Doughty smile between songs and seeing how well the band engaged with each other as they performed sent chills down my spine.

The first half of this set also included some of my favorite songs off Irresistible Bliss like “Soft Serve”, “White Girl”, “Soundtrack to Mary” and “The Idiot Kings”. But once Sebastian Steinberg plucked the bass lines from “True Dreams of Wichita” and Doughty sang “Signal got lost to the satellite/Got lost in the/Rideup to the/Plungedown”, the crowd let out some cheers knowing what was coming. Unbeknownst to everyone attending, the next few songs on the set list would get the crowd moving and grooving across the venue. Hearing “St. Louise is Listening” and “Down to This” back-to-back was quite exhilarating. For some of us, this night was a religious experience getting the opportunity to jam out to Soul Coughing songs that we either grew up listening to or for those of us who may have just heard of these songs since their breakup post 1999.

Soul Coughing

Right before the “last song” of the night, “Screenwriter’s Blues”, Doughty explained to the crowd their intention to bow out after the end of this song, but only to come back out on stage after the crowd lets them know that they want more. And of course, Soul Coughing was gracious enough to come back to perform not one, but two songs for their encore performance. Taking a song from their first two releases, “Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago” and “Super Bon Bon”, both songs, in my opinion, encapsulate the intricate, yet delicate sound that has made Soul Coughing famous. After all the past heartache and pain that the band endured, seeing Soul Coughing on stage now performing their songs for a nearly sold-out crowd at The Eastern proved that in the end eventually friendship and love wins out.

Check out this unbelievable career-spanning setlist from The Eastern (04/12/2025) below:

· “Sugar Free Jazz”

· “Blue Eyed Devil”

· “I Miss the Girl”

· “Soft Serve”

· “White Girl”

· “Soundtrack to Mary”

· “Bus to Beelzebub”

· “Misinformed”

· “The Idiot Kings”

· “True Dreams of Wichita”

· “Mr. Bitterness”

· “St. Louise Is Listening”

· “Down to This”

· “Collapse”

· “Moon Sammy”

· “Casiotone Nation”

· “Disseminated”

· “Circles”

· “Screenwriter’s Blues”

Encore

· “Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago”

· “Super Bon Bon”

There are still some dates left on Soul Coughing Play the Songs of Soul Coughing Again during the following dates below. Make sure to check out the VIP upgrades at each selected tour date:

Apr 18, 2025

Longhorn Ballroom

Dallas, TX

VIP

Tickets

Apr 19, 2025

ACL Live at The Moody Theater

Austin, TX

VIP

Tickets

Apr 22, 2025

The Majestic Theatre