PLAYGROUND BOSTON

Living Colour - Photo by Pete Legasey

It’s been over 20 years since Vernon Reid teamed up with Corey Glover and Will Calhoun, and more than a decade and a half since bassist Doug Wimbish joined their ranks. Their age hasn’t made these guys dated though, it’s made them musical juggernauts. Seeing a unit that is so cohesive, whose sound has been engineered so meticulously, and whose songs have stood the test of time, is usually experienced from the back of a giant pavilion after paying a 3-digit price-tag. Those packed into the overflowing Johnny D’s last week were given the unique experience to see all this up close and personal in a tiny club. This begs the obvious question, why the hell were these guys playing Johnny D’s and not somewhere bigger? The club was beyond capacity and plenty of people were waiting outside hoping to get in. Anyone who got stuck in the cold missed out, because what was going on inside was mind blowing.

Will Calhoun - Photo by Pete Legasey

Surrounded by more effects pedals and gadgets than anything I’ve ever seen, Living Colour came out hard and heavy, starting the night with a healthy serving of vintage tunes off of Vivid and Time’s Up. With songs as soulful as they are athletic, the opening set peaked as the quartet went from a stirring performance of “Open Letter (To a Landlord)” into a whirlwind “Elvis is Dead.” All this was followed with a ridiculous extended drum solo from Calhoun (a Berklee Honors Graduate) who showed that he is still indeed, the man.

After shoring up the first half of the night, Living Colour returned to play a front-to-back live run-through of their new album The Chair in the Doorway. The album, which dropped only last week, is both heavy and introspective, and flowed impressively during the live rendition. Vernon Reid scorched the room with his staple unhinged psycho solos, while Glover sang about hard times and being an asshole.

Living Colour is all about mixing genres, and they do it well on their latest album, combining metal bite with the fun of funk and soul. Take a listen to some their new material streaming on their Myspace page, including perhaps their most accessible new song, “Behind the Sun.” This is not a phoned-in reunion album, this is solid chunk of rock worth picking up.

Vernon Reid - photo by Pete Legasy

No Living Colour performance would be complete without “Cult of Personality,” and the guys delivered, treating the crowd to the ultimate night-capping encore. Shaking hands outside after the show, Living Colour left everyone feeling good, having experience a top-echelon show in a small intimate club.

Tune in tonight (September 21st) to catch Living Colour Live on Jimmy Fallon.

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Living Colour

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