Arrested Development

There’s a certain joy that happens when a rainbow appears in the sky....
Arrested Development : Live

Arrested Development : Live

There’s a certain joy that happens when a rainbow appears in the sky. The colors inspire happiness, and it’s so easy to stray to find its origin. That’s a feeling of curiosity and hope that’s so irresistible and compelling.

A rainbow… that reminds me of the music from Arrested Development. I am always giddy about seeing their positive message music live, so I’m here to tell you about the show on Thursday, August 2nd at City Winery in Atlanta. The venue was packed. The stage was set, full of bright colors, and the overall atmosphere was cheerful. The winery brought food and drinks to everyone, strangers introduced themselves to those nearby, and there was just the typical “friendly” atmosphere before the bright stage colors became fully lit up and Arrested Development took the stage.

Singer Speech encouraged everyone to “Stand up! This is a celebration of 26 years since the release of the album”. That album was 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of… and what a positive sound resounded in response. I can confidently say there was not a seated person in the house when the band opened with “Teach a Man to Fish”.  The hometown audience was filled with friends, family, and long time fans and all were enthusiastic and engaged with the music and seeing the band on stage together.

While Speech appeared as a half-preacher, half-rapper, it was the exotic characters of Arrested Development that made the experience so memorable. One could not miss the beautiful and magnetic Fareedah [Aleem]. Her graceful movements weaved some very difficult yoga poses into her energetic dancing, and what an effervescent smile! Meanwhile, singer Tasha Larae’s powerful voice was the perfect counter to Speech’s free flowing lyrics. Jason Reichert (JJ Boogie) was playing the guitar with soul and style. Gospel and African American music expert Eric Dozier was wonderful on keyboards. There was a person making a painting, live onstage, during the concert.  This is a creative type of art experience. His pallet literally added more colors to the rainbow while the band was on stage. Later, the painting was sold to a lucky audience member.

During several songs, Fareedah and Tasha had some hypnotic arm-dancing happening. Then Speech got everyone to stand and yell “Revolution”! DJ-MC-vocalist 1 Love joined in the singing during the second song “Dawn of the Dreads”, while Speech joined the ladies in the choreographed dance. As the song went on, Speech encouraged the audience to bounce both arms, and the very receptive and enthusiastic audience stood and joined in the celebration.

Arrested DevelopmentThen the band played a favorite from the album, “Fishing for Religion”. The vocals were clear and resonant, the band was having fun, the familiar songs were shared by all the audience members singing along, and as I look around I am greeted by big smiles and happy bouncing people, including Professor Griff of Public Enemy. Others in the audience were family members of the band, a few members from previous incarnations of AD and members from other bands. Tasha Larae showed off her vocal range during the last part of the song, and she sounded great – what an articulate delivery an amazing vocal range, and a warm generous smile.

Later on, Speech got the audience to give a shout out for moms in the house. He didn’t like the response level, so he then asked anyone that has a mom to cheer, and he got resounding feedback. The band responds by playing a great song often overlooked and underplayed, “Mamas Always on Stage”. Tasha expands her voice to a range I don’t quite think I’ve ever heard before. Between the range and power of those vocal chords, she also gleans one big happy smile. After the song Speech asked, “How many of y’all got the cassette? The LP? CD? “– after each format name, he got an increasing amount of cheering, then he brought the audience to laughter by asking “8-track”?

Then the band showed their musical development as they chose a song from 2016, “I Don’t See You at the Club”. It was witty, fast paced, and upbeat, keeping the good vibe of the night flowing. While the concert was to celebrate the band’s first release, Speech did mention Zingalamaduni, the second album from AD, and broke into “Ease My Mind”, which was an audience favorite. The delicate drumming for the song by Rasa Don turned intricate and complex by the end. After that song, Speech led into some call/answer dialogue to pump up the audience enthusiasm. At this point, I wasn’t sure the audience could be more excited, but the responses were full of joy.

Speech turned to a more somber tone and talked about his time in Ripley, Tennessee and his grandma who passed. He dedicated the timeless classic song “Tennessee’ to her and others those who had recently died. Again, Tasha shared her formidable vocal pipes at the end of the song.

To make good song transitions, they added small touches of classic song references like “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”, “Jump Jump” (House of Pain) and everything sounds a little better with just a little touch of Sly on top, so they went into their tribute, “People Every Day”. Larae started her “Hey, hey” chant, which signaled the opening. Every person in the audience was singing along, and the energy of the place was buzzing with joy and happiness, singing and dancing, just a lot of fun. Then, Larae sang familiar opening of the classic “Mr Wendal”. Everyone in the audience was standing and dancing with happiness. After the final note, all band members stood with solidarity holding fists in the air. The bassist Za (Isiah “Za” Williams) was about to have his birthday on Saturday, August 4th (the same day as Obama’s birthday, Speech pointed out), so the band, the audience, and winery staff all joined in to share a round of “happy birthday” to a grinning Williams.

I’m not sure how to describe the musical celebration. Have we had fun yet or are we still chasing rainbows seeking something more exciting? With Speech writing new material, I have a feeling that rainbow over the horizon will be bright and far reaching, and a joy to chase.

Arrested Development

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