After a 14-year hiatus, D’Angelo has made a full return to the performance and music industry with his album Black Messiah. Unlike, many artists who have attempted a comeback only to prove to be a lacking version of their former self, D’angelo from his intricate and funk- filled arrangements to his smooth and sensual dancing has shown to be a continuation of and equally as wonderful as his former self. This past August, I was lucky enough to experience his vibrant onstage presence live at Outside Lands Music Festival.
It was a hot summer day and my friend and I were slowly maneuvering through the hundreds of people packed against the Sutro stage at Golden Gate Park patiently awaiting the arrival of D’angelo and his expansive Vanguard. We managed to get ourselves about twenty feet from the stage before people stopped allowing us to pass; and for the next few hours we stood there jumping, singing, dancing, hugging, socializing, screaming and feeling great with D’angelo and the thousands of people who stood behind us. When D’angelo entered the stage in his all black ensemble, followed by his Vanguard – which features sax, trumpet, bass, keys, drums, two guitarists and three background singers – the crowd went absolutely fanatic.
Opening with “Ain’t That Easy,” the first track on his long-awaited Black Messiah, the band was already in full groove. As bandleader, D’angelo proved to be an attentive and brilliant director, keeping in full communication with the band at all times, and jamming beautifully with every member of the vanguard. Altering between vocals, keyboard and guitar, D’angelo kept every second of the show vibrantly fresh and powerfully climactic.
The funk created on top of that stage was absolutely mesmerizing – the entire crowd was overpowered by their need to move and groove with every downbeat, I’ve never had the treat of seeing so many people so euphorically aglow at the same time. For the majority of the night D’angelo and the Vanguard kept the show funky and light hearted, but, as we neared the last few songs he pulled the crowd to silence as his tone changed, and, making full and powerful use of his platform above thousands of ears, D’angelo gave a small piece on the recurring and tragic killings of unarmed black males by law enforcement agents.
So, as he asked the crowd to throw their fists in the air and fight injustice he hollered “This goes out to all the victims of senseless police brutality,” and launched into his incredibly powerful tune “The Charade”, awakening and thrusting truth upon the crowd. The audience hung at his every word and move, through his masterful set. The entire Vanguard embodied D’angelos energy, dancing and entertaining in such a way that made you very aware they loved what they were doing and who they were doing it with. After much jamming, a few throwbacks, the majority of his new tunes and an encore, D’angelo walked of stage for the final time that evening. Though he left the crowd wanting more, we were all aware that we had experienced a state of mind and happiness that would forever exist in that moment, which we were inarguably blessed to have.
