D’Angelo Wows Los Angeles as a Master of Funk
Fans were elated when soulful singer D’Angelo and his electrifying band The Vanguard released their Black Messiah album back in late 2014. Many were beginning to wonder if the crooner would surface back into the industry, especially since his last album VooDoo was released back in 2000. Fast-forward 15 years later this past April, when he announced a summer tour in honor of the new album properly titled, The Second Coming. Not so much suggesting the singer ever left the music industry for good, but more so a label that symbolizes an artist who took an extended period of time to perfect his musicianship. After watching D’Angelo and his band perform an inspiring set on NBC’s Saturday Night Live earlier this year, I’d say this tour was definitely worth the wait.
On Monday June 8th, the VooDoo singer brought his second tour stop to a sold-out crowd at Club Nokia. Opening up for the soulful crooner was Australian soul-pop singer Meg Mac. An emerging artist who made quite an impression at this year’s SXSW festival, and if you’re a fan of singers like Adele and BANKS, then add Meg Mac to your playlist. An unfamiliar artist to many fans in the audience, but that didn’t stop the crowd from grooving to her jazzy set. Recently coming off the release of her self-titled EP, she sold the crowd with her bold cover of Bill Withers’ “Grandma’s Hands.” She’s already captivated international audiences, so touring in the states with a veteran artist of such high caliber is quite an accomplishment. Before her last song of the night, she told the audience, “I couldn’t be more happier to open up for D’Angelo, I’m a lucky girl.”
As more fans congregated into the venue, conversations immersed about which songs D’Angelo would perform. As an artist who gave himself the moniker Black Messiah, you better believe fans are prepared to be in a praise-and-worship mode. In the words of Hozier, “Take me to church!”
The lights dimmed as The Vanguard took their place on stage, D’Angelo made his way to the front with a cool and debonair swag to open with, “Ain’t That Easy.” Winning the hearts of women as he strummed his guitar like on old Harlem Renaissance jam. They continued to perform hits from the 2014 album including, “Betray My Heart.” His singers performed synchronized choreography, similar to soul groups who made it big in the 1960s era. He switched his outfits a few times from long coats to signature hats, while also shifting his musical talent from shredding his guitar to playing the piano. His background singer Kendra Foster performed an interpretive ballet routine before jumping into the sultry ballad, “Really Love.” Between D’Angelo’s sweet falsettos and the audience in awe singing along to every word, it slowed the pace down of the party for all the lovers in the room.
Peace signs and power fists waved from side-to-side all across the room as D’Angelo wore his hood up to the political song, “The Charade.” The band integrated arrest hand moves and protest motions into their choreography. Raised fists at the end of the song symbolized how communities need to stick together and stand up for what they believe in.
Although I love his new album, I couldn’t wait until he performed the classic hits that I grew up on. All the fans sang in full force with the band to his 1995 hit, “Brown Sugar.” So hard to believe this song came out two decades ago and fans still love hearing it just like they did way back then. Although he didn’t perform any other songs from his debut album, such as my personal favorite, “Lady,” the crowd didn’t seem to mind it at all.
After performing for an hour, he told the fans “Thank you LA, Goodnight,” leaving fans screaming, “Encore” with cheers. A few minutes later, the band was back on stage for an extra hour, as the crowd sang praises for Black Messiah as he performed songs such as “Another Life” and “Back To The Future.” The party took quite an escalated turn as they performed “Left & Right” with an extended funky breakdown at the end. This number showed D’Angelo’s strong influence from the likes of James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, and Sly and the Family Stone. His trumpet and saxophone players came to the front of the stage with high energy and had the whole crowd jumping.
He then came back for a second encore and ended his set with his biggest hit, “How Does It Feel.” Fans who were seated on the balcony ran downstairs to feel a grander sensual mode of Black Messiah. He kept teasing the fans by walking up to the microphone before actually singing the first verse and the crowd fell for it every time. Couples were so enthralled by the song, to a point where make out sessions filled the room. Bravo to D’Angelo for setting the mood right at the end of the show. His band mates left one-by-one as the singer ended at the piano and thanked Los Angeles for a great night. So what’s the melody behind The Second Coming tour? Not only has D’Angelo stayed in the music industry for the past two decades, but he is a prime example of an artist who sticks with the roots of music and not conforming to the popular sound. His art gives him quite an edge as the band blends melodies from a number of genres. One song might have you feeling like you’re at an old speakeasy in New Orleans, while another song may be reminiscent to ‘90s R&B. 15 years is a long time for any artist to take a hiatus, but in this case, the time away worked well in his favor. If you didn’t catch this show, D’Angelo and The Vanguard will be back in August headlining the FYF Fest.
