The members of funk rock group Shoeless Revolution were indeed barefoot during their high-energy performance Oct. 9 at the Miramar Theatre — all except guitarist Eric Streske, whose consistent pounding of pedal effects must have granted him the right to a pair of sneakers.

The footwear-shunning members of Shoeless Revolution allowed Milwaukee fans young and old to join them for the release tour for “From the Inside Out,” the band’s second album, which dropped in September.

Originally hailing from La Crosse, Wis., Shoeless Revolution relocated to Minneapolis several years ago. Their tours have spanned throughout the Midwest since the release of their album “Speak Up” in 2008.

Following the rocking pace of openers Gypsy Kitchen, Shoeless Revolution drummer and frontman Reed Grimm immediately called for audience interaction, which was warmly welcomed by the crowd. Improvised call-and-response, beatbox introductions and brief conversations with the crowd traveled between the stage and the floor. The hard-hitting drums and crash of Grimm’s cymbals complimented his own growling lead vocals.

The keyboard switches of Jack Sabol-Williams dominated “Dance,” the second song of the night. His synthesizer transitions were reminiscent of the muffled sounds of a classic Sega Genesis: tinny, monophonic clangs that spewed out of an old television’s mono speaker.

The band wasn’t hesitant to slip onto the funk side of things. Bassist Ben Peterson doubled as tenor saxophone for a jazzy laid-back track from the new album, and two additional members with a trumpet and baritone saxophone joined the band on a few tracks.

Tracks from the band’s previous album “Speak Up” served as solid crowd pleasers. As Grimm called out, “This moment ain’t gonna repeat!” alongside the flat out funky upstrokes of Eric Streske’s guitar, audience members bounced up and down with the beat.

At one point, band members transitioned from the tracks of “From the Inside Out” to the slithering, steady pick of the guitar introduction of Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House,” the first of many covers played throughout the night. Each cover was faithful in nature yet offered the band’s own blend of shoeless funk.

One particular set of covers surprised the crowd. They began with the spacey introduction to the Beatles’ “Happiness is a Warm Gun” and continued for three additional Beatles songs, played in commemoration of what would have been John Lennon’s 70th birthday.

Audience members were more than happy to honor Grimm’s request to chime in on the “Woos” of “I am the Walrus,” mixing in with Peterson’s high-pitched howls that harkened back to Lennon’s own lingering cries.

Additional covers ranged from Living Colour’s “Cult of Personality” to Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name.”

Floor space at the Miramar was filled nearly to capacity – relatively speaking, of course, as most in Shoeless Revolution’s ever-dancing crowd required a ten-foot radius to work with. A new set of faces was dancing in front of the stage every few minutes.

It was clear Milwaukee loved these guys. The crowd spewed lyrics to original songs off of the new album just as faithfully as with the band’s covers.

But as all concerts must, this one ended. And the exemplary group continued their shoeless voyage across the Midwest, a voyage which will inevitably end back in their native Wisconsin.

By Tony Manno, Special to the Tribune