Photos by Tim Dwenger
The Scene: For days, months even, before this show my Facebook feed had been crackling with posts about D’Angelo from a “Who’s Who” of the Denver music community. From members of The Motet, to Analog Son, to Atomga, the whole scene was on pins and needles, just itching for show day to come. This kind of out-pouring of love from some of the funkiest cats in Denver had my curiosity peaked as I had never seen D’Angelo before and was eager to find out what it was all about. We got in-line early and I was thrilled to find a diverse crowd of music lovers of all ages, skin tones, and socio-economic backgrounds waiting for the doors to open to secure some great real estate for the main event
D’Angelo: At a few minutes after ten The Ogden exploded as D’Angelo’s band, The Vanguard, took the stage with bassist Pino Palladino (The Who, John Mayer Trio) and guitarist Jesse Johnson (The Time, Prince) flanking a Marshal cabinet and keyboard rig that, for now, sat vacant. As the groove got thick, smoke filled the stage and D’Angelo himself emerged with a giant grin on his face and the nearly capacity crowd lost their collective mind.
Sure, D’Angelo’s 15 year absence from the scene helped to build up the anticipation for this show, but so did his critically acclaimed 2014 album Black Messiah which was featured prominently during the shows 70 minute, seven song, main set with tracks including the opening pairing of “Ain’t That Easy” and “Betray My Heart”. For his part D’Angelo did his best to convince the crowd that he is every bit the superstar entertainer they were hoping for as he seemed to alternately channel Prince through sultry R&B laced slow jams and James Brown as he called for soul-claps and directed his impossibly tight rhythm section to drop a series of staccato beats time after time just by dropping his arm. It was a masterclass in showmanship that included costume changes, diamond studded guitars and even a crotch grab or two.
Don’t let the showmanship fool you, this was a world-class eleven piece band on display at the Ogden and they pushed the limits of what I thought was possible in the live setting over the course of a two hour and fifteen minute performance that left the audience sweaty and beaming with adoration. My personal favorite moments of the show included the combination of “Brown Sugar” and “Sugah Daddy” that ended the main set and the blistering first encore that included a mind-bending sax solo and the Voodoo era classics “Left & Right” and “Chicken Grease” but the image that will stick in the minds of many in attendance is that of D’Angelo alone at his keyboard closing out the show ending “Untitled (How Does it Feel)”.
Though I had heard the buzz, and listened to Black Messiah several times, it was D’Angelo’s live performance that turned me into a believer. He stretched the limits of this recorded catalog in all the right ways. He brought the Funk, and he brought it hard, but he knew how to temper it just right with a soulful break or some rapid-fire flow that consistently left me slack-jawed and amazed. D’Angelo delivered what was easily one of the best performances of the year and a show that exploded into my top ten of all time. If you missed this one, don’t make that mistake again.
Energy: A+
Musicianship: A+
Sound: A-
Stage Presence: A+
Set/Light Show: B+
Overall: A
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