Yet again, another dynamic show at Paisley. Lord, where do I begin? Well, first, let me give props to the house d.j. because he was spinnin' up a mean mix of funk before the show and definitely got the crowd moving. When the band came out, it consisted of Kirk, Larry, Mike Scott, Kip, The Artist, and occasionally, Tina Graham.



First off, Kip sat at the keys and sang a ballad that I'm not sure of what the title is. It was very nice. Then, what sounded like a new track, was introduced. Pretty funky. The lyrics in the bridge referred to TLC. Somethin' about "TLC ain't bold!". Somethin like that. I don't really remember. And during the chorus, the audience shouted the word, "SOUL!". The crowd was feelin' it and it got everyone in the mood.



Next up, I believe, was, "Water" (one of my particular favorites from the GCS catalogue). Larry tore this one UP! I definitely took home a few pointers on how to do this live, since my band covers this. DAYUM! Then, the Artist came out from behind the keyboards and strapped on the new guitar, "Habibi". They tore into a BLISTERING cover of Sheryl Crow's, "Everyday Is A Winding Road"! Everyone was singing the chorus while the Artist was TEARIN it up the guitar. I swear, when he picks that thing up, you don't want him to put it back down. Anyway, forgive me for missing some tracks here, but it's all one big blur after that final jam....which I'll get to later.



At one point, Larry performed his ballad that's been thrown around at Paisley for a little while. It's a song about love. The lyrics contain the phrase, "Love can cover a mountain of sand". And the refrain was, "lotta, lotta, lotta, lotta, Love" Let's just say I felt the message more through the pretty melody than I did those lyrics. After Sly's, "You Can Make It If You Try", the Artist was back on guitar and things started to get a little ugly.



Apparently, Mike Scott was witnessing something from the side of the stage that he wanted to get a piece of. It began as innocently as, "On the 1, Mike.....solo" And he did! But shortly thereafter, Mike started to blow up the spot. And some other "nameless" guitar player was starting to feel PROVOKED! And so began a duel of guitars like that I've NEVER heard! Back and forth, the Artist and Mike were trading licks, topping eachother with each solo, until it ended in all ended, on the 1. I'm gonna go ahead and say that it ended in a draw. What a cool moment.



I must say, the Artist was in a very good mood this morning. He was playful and funny. Especially when, after a rippin up a Santana tune, he started to recall a few days ago when he was asked, by Carlos, to come onstage and jam at Santana's concert at the Northrop. He said, "I went back there and they were trying to give me this big ole guitar with a LONG strap, havin me lookin like a punk rocker, and a guitar pick the size of a DORITO!" He claimed he didn't take many risks onstage, due to the ackward equipment, but when Carlos came over to HIS house, things were a tad different. He then went into a CRAZY, Santana-style solo that was too amazing for words. Then, he stopped suddenly and ended the song reciting it's inspiration's name, "Santana". The crowd went nuts at this semi-friendly dig on Carlos. All of a sudden, the Artist starts playing this country lick that sounded like some banjo tune from the show, "Hee-Haw". He asked, "Y'all wanna hear some country? Well, you betta go somewhere else then...", and claimed that he was there to FUNK tonight! With that, we were in to a HOT version of, "Release Yourslef".



It was played extra fast and gave a jolt to the crowd getting everybody moving again. The band was tearing this one up! Then, somewhere midsong, the Artist goes into a FUNKY version of, "Alphabet St."! It was already too much and it just kept getting better! Larry and the Artist started trading licks with each other and then Larry starts SERIOUSLY pounding it out! All anyone onstage could do was laugh. Laugh, like you do when you KNOW it's just too funky! With that they stopped and it was over. I felt like a train hit me! And they were still laughing as they all walked off stage. WOOH!



They didnt come back for an encore and I wasnt expecting them to. I mean, where do you go after THAT? Anyway, the Artist was mingling with fans a bit before he retreated to his quarters and was very gracious. Shaking hands and exchanging words with people. He even gave some guy a hug. I wanted to go over to him...but it's like, what could you possibly say? "Uhh....good job!" YEAH RIGHT! So, I just watched him....like the chicken I am, until he left. What a guy! That's all I can say.