FROM MICHAEL LEAGUE:
First of two shows at the legendary Paradiso, an old church-turned-venue, in Amsterdam. A really special show. Crowd and band energy is electric throughout. The band layers in on Whitecap to start. Bullock takes an effected tenor solo. Beep Box follows it. Maz plays over the outro. Zach goes Hendrix on GØ. Bobby lights it up on organ. Bob takes an extended solo over the outro. Then Kite. Justin lays out on Rhodes during the solo to let Bullock and Bobby take it. Justin bops through the outro on Rhodes. Semente features special guests Marcelo Woloski and Dutch percussionist Steven Brezet (from “We Like It Here”). Best it’s felt all tour. The outro becomes a three-man percussion feature (Steven on timbau, Marcelo on pandeiro, Nate on everything else) as Larnell leaves the stage. Justin burns through the first solo in Young Stuff on trumpet. Bobby takes things to a spiritual place on organ. Quarter Master keeps things in the soul arena. Bob starts low and funky on guitar and then takes it up over the top of a great Sharay Reed groove. The first encore is Shofukan, which gets a trumpet solo from Justin over an old-school organ accompaniment from Bobby. Steven and Marcelo jump back on percussion for the ending, which gets a little touch of Zeppelin. The crowd sings the theme for a second encore. Bobby takes things through the roof on Sleeper. Helluva night all around.