Met up with IKvsDK at Prohibition. Turns out they serve nachos with pulled pork and salsa verde - not currently available at Factory Girl (hint). After watching the Canucks pull even with the Blackhawks, we wended our way to the Opera House.
The place was about half-full with people lining the back and side walls, getting their drink on. IKvsDK described the crowd as "diverse".
The opener was a DJ spinning what looked like vinyl. He read out his job description - "... to get your arms and legs moving" - which was moderately successful with a sporadic mix of funky beats. IKvsDK critiqued this guy's DJ skillz, spotting a few instances when a "PLAY" button was pushed. Was the vinyl just for show? Is there a real DJ in the house (hint)?
Meanwhile, the DJ's old lady was shaking it up in front of the turntables doing some solo work on a dance floor that suddenly seemed too big. But people steadily filed in and the Opera House filled up. Great venue by the way.
The DJ took down his set and I noticed a roadie on stage carrying a large stack of towels like it was Extreme Fitness. These towels got distributed at key places and it was evident a workout was in store.
Around 9:30 the band took the stage. Someone started recording the event on their iPad in front the stage; conspicuous to say the least. The bass, guitar, drums and keyboardist got in place followed by the horns and timbalist. Three costumed dancers strutted out in a line, briefly faced the audience, turned around, bent over and started shaking their tails. Three units in a row shaking madly, like sunday at a laundromat. Then the main man, Femi Kuti, made his grand entrance.
The first cut was absolutely amazing. It took a while to get the levels right but Femi Kuti took the band then the audience through their paces. The opening track was a driving 4-beat uptempo number that brought the crowd to life. Turns out Femi Kuti is a circle-breather as he highlighted the piece with a sustained note on his alto sax for a brief eternity. By this time, ladies from the audience had gathered at the front of the stage forming a dance pit.
There were about three different styles of songs in the show, the uptempo four-beat dance track, the slower 2-beat dub/reggae vibe and the rapping track where Femi Kuti rocked the mic about Africa. I thought the band was strongest with first two, (particular the slower tracks) and Femi Kuti seemed to pick up on this after testing out a few tracks from his latest album Africa for Africa.
Femi Kuti is a marvel - mic, keyboard, sax, trumpet, conducting, dancing ... always doing something.
After playing nonstop for 1 hr 45 mins, the band finally took a breather, finishing with the hit Beng, Beng, Beng. Phenomenal.
Meanwhile, at Massey Hall, the Pixies - like the Canucks - had packed it in and were on the tour bus to the next gig.
Femi Kuti was just getting warmed up. The "encore" was a second set which lasted another 35 minutes. Phenomenal.
Harmonically, the numbers were basically two chords: tonic and dominant which gives rise to alot of repeated three note riffs. The rhythm and tempo are steady but volume and voicing is where the tension is generated. Guitar, keyboard and horns had the task of adding this tension and all did great work. My uncle once told me that there is no substitute for live horns. I see what he means now.
A-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA
1 comment:
Amazing night!!! O LO LO LO LO!!!
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