In a lifetime of seeing live music there is simply life B.B. (Before Badu live), and life A.B. (After Badu live). To try to explain what A.B. feels like would be like trying to catch light in the palm of your hand. Erykah Badu’s takeover of the Hollywood Bowl with The Alchemist was a once-in-a-lifetime sonic and visual rollercoaster.
Internationally celebrated contemporary artist, Lauren Halsey, quite literally set the exclusively designed stage for Erykah Badu and The Alchemist. Halsey, the South Central native powerhouse, created an oasis of funk visuals- a celebration of black culture, vibrancy and beauty in resistance. Halsey’s “emajendat” proved to be one of the most immaculate interactive set designs at The Hollywood Bowl.
From the installation of the glowing moon smiling down on the crowd with a flashy grill, to the stagehands dressed in silver iridescent outfits moving through the cotton-candy clouds for each transition. It was a set that artists dream of performing on- like being inside a music video that also happened to be an interactive art installation. In a modern world filled with monochrome and beige, Halsey’s work felt as though one of Jimi Hendrix’s technicolor outfits came to life creating a psychedelic experience. A necessary and palpable work of art, making for a sonically immersive and felt experience.
The Charles Gaines Collective featuring hometown heroes Black Nile and Devin Daniels kicked off the night with an arrangement appropriately teasing Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison” and Digable Planets “Rebirth of Slick.” The seasoned collective set the mood for a funky evening of unexpected artist collaborations and some of the most celebrated musicians of all time.
Hilarious host Yvonne Orji took the stage for a quick body roll moment to get the energy moving before giving a proper introduction to the one and only, Flea. His most recent solo album Honora highlights another side of the musician we know and love. As it turns out, when you get Flea to hold still, his lightning-in-a-bottle stage presence transforms into a funky one-man jazz band with pedals, his signature bass, a trumpet, and naturally, an affected vocal declaration of being “a funky motherfucker.” Flea’s seemingly intentional restraint made the bursts of face melting fuzz pedal moments between layered sonic nostalgia that much sweeter. A laser sharp performance and a solo artist in his own right.
DJ Pee .Wee (Anderson .Paak) must’ve had his double shot of espresso with his glass of IBest Wines before busting onto the stage to spin something for every generation. Paak worked the stage with his crowd-charming antics showing off his 70’s dance moves (the butterfly and the worm). He spun his set with his contagious smile listening to his vintage telephone headphones, stopping only to use his t-shirt launcher to the beat of the music.
Paak, rightfully so, re-started the four-time Grammy winning song “Leave the Door Open.” He got the crowd’s attention and let them know that he would not be playing for a halfhearted audience hypnotized by the phones in their hands. The crowd was up on their feet by the time he sang, “Am I Wrong” while a crew of roller skaters brought the funk onto wheels with their smooth moves and gravity defying backflips into the splits. Cordae jumped on stage to perform their latest feel-good single “A Good Day.” To tie up the generational music theme into a soulful musical bow, Paak performed ‘Come Down’ to the beat of Busta Rhymes’ “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” as Maurice” Mobetta” Brown popped in to move and groove, knocking the end of Andy’s set right out of the park.
The dancers of LA’s own Debbie Allen Dance Group took over the stage to remind us that a night of music like this obviously wouldn’t be complete without dancing. Dancers dressed as sassy pyramids and funky Pharos got down to P-Funk showing off their technique and eclectic training. (Yes, the great Debbie Allen has a dance academy.) Once again, the stage transformed into another installation for the main event while the dancers moved and grooved.
Erykah Badu floated onto the stage with her effortless nonchalant swagger. She arrived with the same well-earned command we know from the first time we saw her pick up a microphone to tell him to call Tyrone. An enigmatic force of nature with the kind of “un-fuck-with-able” confidence and ease we’ve only seen from the unicorn herself. Badu is the kind of performer that makes you pinch yourself to make sure you’re awake and squint to double check that you’re not looking at a hologram made for emajendat.
Master producer The Alchemist’s humble yet critical presence elevated everyone around him as he held down the beats and stewarded the musical landscape for the duo to perform their songs. Badu came in delivering a vocally inspired and timeless message in her signature style broadcasting her poignant and not so subtle lyrics from “Echos.” Badu’s set was packed with appearances from DJ Creole Princess, Dram, Earl Sweashirt, and if that wasn’t enough to blow your mind, Thundercat joined in with his distinct style and mind-boggling runs. Each artist brought louder and louder screams from the audience with each reveal.
Making her way through “Before the World Blows” and unique renditions from Baduizm and Mama’s Gun, Badu worked her way up the stairs as she sang the classics in perfectly framed moments as a piece of moving art. Gracefully moving through the three story five room neon set and singing into a telephone mic, she spun a hanging planet and passed through each unique room of imagery using the set as her playground. Moving on and on from one room to the next, picking invisible flower petals, and playing her drum machine along the way.
The anticipated emajendat with Erykah Badu and The Alchemist went out with a pyrotechnic bang. Fluorescent fireworks exploded above the bowl while Flea returned to close out the show playing trumpet on “Black Box” leaving us with our final message and an appropriately timed shooting star. You can’t make this stuff up. After seeing so much music royalty in one night, this show will undoubtedly be one that goes down in history and takes days if not lifetimes to fully assimilate life A.B.
