Living Colour @ House of Blues Anaheim – 07/09/2015
Using the House of Blues Anaheim as a warm-up gig for their upcoming opening slot on Aerosmith’s summer tour, the iconic New York-based band LIVING COLOUR hit the Downtown Disney venue this past Thursday July 9th.
Gone are the days of their lead singer, Corey Glover and his Body Glove suit–trading that nostalgic outfit in for an ivy cap, khaki slacks, collared shirt and tie. This evening it was confirmed that after over 30 years as a band, Living Colour still rocks. Guitarist Vernon Reid (the founding member of the band), along with bassist Doug Wimbish and drummer Will Calhoun showed that they still have what it takes to bring their eclectic take on political and introspective rock to life.
The band broke racial barriers in the hard rock and metal categories over 25 years ago, I personally remember rocking the 1988 release Vivid on my Sony Sport Walkman in high school non-stop for a solid semester. The band’s debut studio album (co-produced by Mick Jagger) reached #6 on the US Billboard 200 and was awarded double platinum status.
Opening the set this evening with two cover songs (“Who Shot Ya?” by Notorious B.I.G. and “Preachin’ Blues” by Robert Johnson), the band relied heavily on tracks off of Vivid. The set clocked in at a suitable 90 minutes and spanned 15 songs.
A version of James Brown’s “Sex Machine” was a fun take on the definitive track and helped solidify the set. Glover displayed a general ease on stage throughout the evening and his interactions with his bandmates showed that after all these years they still have the passion to bring their songs to life.
“Bi” lead nicely into a solid bass solo by Wimbish and Calhoun got his turn at a drum solo near the end of the set, which brought the band back out on stage to give the crowd what they had waited all night for—a rousing version of “Cult Of Personality”, the Grammy Award winning tune that saw Glover spend the entire song in the crowd. First starting off in the pit and general admission floor area, he disappeared only to reemerge upstairs in the loge area. After giving hugs to VIP friends he finished up the song strong, only to quickly return to the stage to finish off the set with a cover of The Clash classic “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” before a triumphant bow by the four band members that closed the evening.
While no additional dates are scheduled in SoCal this summer, be sure to catch Living Colour open for Aerosmith in a few weeks at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, August 1st.
Setlist: Who Shot Ya? | Preachin’ Blues | Middle Man | Desperate People | Funny Vibe | Ignorance Is Bliss | Open Letter (To a Landlord) | Bi | Nothingness | Type | Love Rears Its Ugly Head | Sex Machine | Time’s Up | Cult Of Personality | Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
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