Review: I was so excited when I saw this show first announced. I have been a fan of Reggie Watts for a few decades now, but have never had the chance to see him live. And the cherries on top: The show was 30 minutes from where I grew up and a hometown rapper I like was opening the show.
The Colonial Theater was has been around for a century and just had a major upgrade. The venue reminded me of some of the venues in Boston like Bosch in Boston. It’s a beautiful older venue covered in gold, long bannisters, and a good view no matter where you are seated.
Adam and the Flood, formerly known as Adeem/Glue, is the newest project by Adam. He is a Keene native who now resides in my hometown. I saw him perform twice years back and he put on such a good, live show. His music is always filled with powerful samples, strong beats, and lyrics that mean something. This new project is fronted by a full band and Adam brought his bassist out for his show at the Colonial. They pushed through ten songs, while Adam talked a little inbetween each about the meaning behind them, the rappers who inspired him, his native roots, being a father. If you get a chance to see them, make it happen!
Setlist for Adam and the Flood:
Time Don’t Last
Bang
Ten Lives
You Don’t know
Hubris
Prey
I Learned Everything from Vonnegut
Trippin Over Nothin
Peace It Together
50 Miles from Home
I have been a fan of Reggie Watts for as long as I can remember. From his Conan appearances, his band leading duty on Comedy Bang Bang, the man has had a long and successful career in music comedy. I did stand up for a decade and occasionally played the piano or guitar and did one-liners and songs. Though I could never do what Reggie did, I remember researching his equipment, his setup, everything. I was so impressed by him.
The German-born, Minnesotan demonstrates his vocals on stage from bass to tenor, that man can hit all notes. Which is no surprise, as he formerly lead bands including the soul/funk Maktub.
On stage, Watts beatboxes, sings, raps, and loops sounds together to create hilariously skilled songs. And the coolest part: No two sets are alike. As in, everything is improvised. You could follow him for a whole tour and every night would be new. Don’t expect to see him and hear a favorite from one of his live recordings or late night appearances. Instead, expect to hear songs about the city he is performing in, songs about the crowd, songs about topical events.
Review: My dad grew up a fan of Bob Marley. He saw him twice back in the day. Once, at Harvard. He loves to tell the story of how high the smoke was in the crowd that day. My dad also went to Jamaica a few times and even saw Peter Tosh play down there. We got tickets last summer to see The Wailers at The Range and were very disappointed when it got rained out.
Since last year, we have been counting down the days until the show and we were not disappointed. We have been going to The Range for decades. The place had always been great for hitting golf balls and enjoying seafood and ice cream. Over the past few yers, the establishment starting putting on concerts. The lineups that have been put on there over the years have really been incredible. Bands I remember were announcing shows at Red Rocks when I lived in Colorado. But this was the first concert I ever attended here.
I went up front for the last few songs by the Dis-n-Dat band. Holy talent. The band is fronted by a brother-sister duo, ‘Sista Dee’ and 4 time grammy nominated ‘Rangotan.’ ‘Sista Dee; is sang lead vocals, played steel drums, eyboard, and drums And her brother played drums and sang backup.
The Wailers came on around sundown. Mitchell Brunnings is a great frontman. He knew how to get the crowd pumped. Including changing the lyrics of “No Woman, No Cry” to ‘Cause, ’cause, ’cause I remember when we used to sit / In the government yard in New Hampshire’. Brunnings was discovered on Holland’s version of The Voice where he auditioned with “Redemption Song.” Aston Francis Barrett is the drummer and leader of the band. He is one of the many children of “Family Man,” the former bassist and bandleader of The Wailers. Wendell “Junior Jazz” Ferraro plays lead for the band and also supplies back-up vocals. During one song, Junior Jazz took on lead vocals and Brunnings moved his microphone stand to the back. I found this super respectable, as he let Junior Jazz have the spotlight, front and center.
The band played everything you would want them to: “Is This Love,” “No Woman, No Cry,” “I Shot the Sherriff,” “Three Little Birds,” “Jamming,” “Get Up, Stand-Up,” with an encore including “Buffalo Soldier” and “Could You Be Loved.” I also loved hearing the beautiful, slower “Exodus” and “Redemption Song.”
The band already announced an upcoming show in Boston at City Winery and I want to see them again.
