was lucky enough to score front row tix for ttb @ spac. What a treat!! Sharon jones and the dap kings were worth the price of admission on their own. Had never seen them before..what a tight band and what a powerhouse Sharon is. TTB was stellar probably my 4th or 5th time seeing them and by far the best. Every time you see them you appreciate a different facet of their awesome lineup. Wednesday Derek soloed on almost every tune!! Had not seen this as much in previous TTB shows. He was mesmerizing to watch from row 1. He is still getting better!! Hard to believe but it's true. I'll post some great pix we took including one of the setlist . Encore was a sly stone medley with about 2o people on stage making and taking us higher and higher. two days later and I'm still high from the show. It was Florida humid but worth every drop of sweat. redlegs aka Jim
I've seen TTB twice previous but always at a music festival (Mt. Jam) and so had never seen them as a headliner. Wow! Longer jams and very cool that they highlighted Mike and the new back up singer who some will recall sang in Warren's band for the "Man in Motion" tour....Also noticed too that Derek soloed a great deal more and longer. I was really mesmerized with that real trippy intro. to "Midnight in Harlem" as well as the long solo he did near the end after much of the band cleared the stage....
Speaking of which, I thought it was so cool the way they broke down the band into various incarnations so as to highlight various tunes and individual musicians. Also I loved, loved, loved the two extended sax solos and the interplay between Kofi's flute and Derek at various times. I also enjoyed Susan's one guitar solo. Very bluesy.
It was my second time seeing Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. She is just incredible and the Dap Kings are super tight and top notch musicians. The encore tune was fantastic and a great way to round out a night of incredible music. And yes, bayou humidity without a breeze and temps in the lows 90's....Very brutal but without a doubt worth enduring for such a great night of music.
[Edited on 7/31/2015 by Chain]
I was also front and center at SPAC and had an amazing time. Sharon Jones is just incredible. Hard to follow, I would think. I never had the chance to see Otis or James Brown live. I would say, Sharon is carrying the soul torch better than anyone out there right now. Just throwing off the good feelings in every direction.
I've probably seen TTB a dozen times in the last year and this show ranked up with my top couple. They are always great, but sometimes a show hits me personally, and this one did just that. They break down into an almost DTB mode every once in a while and Kofi takes a great flute solo, it gets really loose and takes me back. The intro to Midnight in Harlem, followed by Midnight in Harlem is just special. If you can't get off on that, I don't know what to tell you. And the encore Sly jam is pure joy. Only a couple more chances to see this combination. I'll be closing out the Wheels of Soul Tour in Philly Sunday. It took me a couple of years to fully get on board with TTB, but they have pulled me in.
Couldn't agree more on the DTB type mode they went into...."Almost Free" was great. By the way, i assume the tune "Anything Anytime" is new and will be on the TTB's forthcoming album? Am I correct? I really liked this song....Great lyrics and fantastic music.
I heard Anyway a few times last winter. They seemed to test drive quite a bit of new material at a couple of the shows. I like the sound of that tune more than much of the stuff on their studio albums. Looking forward to hearing the next one.
"Anyway" has the pedigree of a hit single in my opinion. Anyone have any idea when the new album will be released?
I have become a huge TTB fan over the last year but I have to say, this song - track 5 right before Let's Go Get Stoned - would not be my choice for a single. I love the horns, Susan's vocals and the leads (especially that hint of dual harmony Derek and Doyle(?) have for a moment) but the main underlying chord progression, or percussion I guess I should say, is not my favorite. Dun, Dun, DunDunDun, Dun, Dun..etc. Just not my favorite. LOVE the band and this song is okay, but they have so many others I like a lot more.
I believe the album comes out at the end of this year or early next year. I hear they are going to finish mixing it at the end of August. Can't wait!
