 |
 |
Story and photos by Matt Schwenke
It has been over fifteen years since Living Colour recorded their hit-producing album Vivid, on which "Cult of Personality" and "Glamour Boys" fared particularly well, but the band's performance at Shank Hall didn't sound all that dated.
A newer reggae energy infused in "Glamour Boys" made the old melody line seem a little less old and "Cult of Personality" was effectively rehashed. Other tunes that stood out in the evening were the electronica touches in "In Your Name" and "Nightmare City" from the 2003 release Collideoscope.
Showing he can still belt out the vocals, Corey Glover was at times animated and always right on. "Flying" dripped with emotion as a touching song of remembrance for those passed, and Vernon Reid made his guitar whine in an extraordinary fashion during the solo. Throughout the night, Reid injected lighting-quick guitar licks into the tight grooves bassist Doug Wimbish laid down- wether they were playing technical metal, dub/reggae, or bluesy tunes.
Rounding out the talented bunch, drummer Will Calhoun was a monster behind his set. In an extended drum solo of at least five minutes, Calhoun threw down blazes of percussion over recorded words of Malcolm X that were programmed in. When the band returned, Calhoun took a few quick breaths and when right back at it pushing the band to the end of their extremely high-energy set.
Though the band's newer material hasn't garnered the same attention as their debut album, the current sounds of Living Colour are more dynamic and powerful than that initial release could have ever shown.
Here's Your Chance to.... Respond!
Your feedback will be featured on
Rant or Rave within 24 hours.
