photo: Laura Hanifin

Tuesday night was a night a blast from the past in Minneapolis. Walking into the Pantages Theatre, with its vintage façade and classic theater feel, always feels like a little bit of a time warp when you are coming in from a bustling Hennepin Ave. After a short warm up set, the lights went down and the excited crowd was treated to a great set by vintage soul revivalist Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings. The whole evening had the great feel of going back in time to a period when soul and R&B music was King and music had a much more mystical, redemptive quality to it.

The last time I saw Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings was at one of the free stages at the Minnesota State Fair. Although this may seem like a strange venue for the band, they drew a gigantic and rapturous crowd that was stirred into a frenzy by the funky and soulful sounds. This show, for whatever reason (maybe the $30 tickets kept the really fun people out), did not have the same electric feel to it, although it was still a great show. The Dap-Kings, the eight piece band that kicks out the jams for the Daptones label, was as tight as ever and played their part excellently. They were dressed to the nines in suits and ties and had a sharp and biting sound. The Dap-Kings employ two guitars, bass, two percussionists and three horn players that laid down the driving rhythms that laid the groundwork for the star of the show, Sharon Jones.

Sharon Jones is an entertainer with a magnetic quality built upon the mold of James Brown/Tina Turner/Marvin Gaye. When she came bouncing onto the stage after the two song Dap-Kings warm up, all eyes in the building were on her for the rest of their 75 minute set. With her magnificent voice ringing clear as a bell, she sang songs from their whole catalog, with the emphasis being from their last disc, 100 Days and 100 Night. A word of warning to people who may attend a show by the Dap-Kings in the future: If you fight your way to the front the crowd, be aware that you are liable to become part of the show. Throughout the performance, Jones grabs lucky(?) fans that come on stage to dance and be props for her songs. The crowd, which was teeming with white AARP members, produced some painfully awkward dancers, but it was fun seeing people so excited to be on stage and it was another tool, along with her manic singing and dancing, which Jones used to keep the audience focused. The highlight of the show was when she brought out Charles Bradley, a James Brown clone who sang some songs with the opening band, to do a duet of the classic Sam Cooke song “A Change is Gonna Come.” The song, which has an enhanced meaning to many people after the Obama election, has been one of my favorite songs for many years. I never thought I would be able to see it performed in a way that would be true to the spirit of Cooke, but Jones and Bradley did an amazing job. They traded off verses and by the end were both on their knees looking each other in the eye and singing the great chorus to a cheering crowd. The Dap-Kings were not at their sharpest on this song, but the loose nature of their playing and the occasional mistakes only added to the genuine feel of ecstasy that the song produced. The whole set, while being a little bit more reserved than the last time, was a success and showed that Jones and her trusty Dap-Kings have few, if any peers, in their genre at this time. It was a blast from the past that I would gladly take every night if I could.

The opening act, the Menahan Street Band, was an instrumental group that featured many members of the Dap-Kings. Their songs, ranging from world influenced bossa nova to funk, were very good. A couple even sounded like some J Dilla or DJ Shadow at their funky, soulful best. They brought out the previously mentioned Charles Bradley, in a full on sparkly gold outfit, to sing two songs with them. He had an amazing voice and the kind of stage presence that bordered on joking but really served in getting the crowd excited for Sharon Jones. The Menahan Street Band has an LP out now titled Make the Road by Walking and is worth checking out.

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings: Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
Menahan Street Band: MySpace | Wikipedia

Also: Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings on Late Night