Leon Bridges channels throwback soul in concert
Saturday was the first night of a pair of concerts headlined by R&B and soul singer, Leon Bridges, at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. Bridges found his sound writing songs while working as a dishwasher before being signed to Columbia Records two years ago. His vibe is true retro, with the influences of Sam Cooke, early Marvin Gaye, Little Richard and the essence of rock and roll and soul from the ’60s. His debut album, Coming Home, was a huge success, landing a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album and the title track being featured in a commercial for the iPhone.
The opening act for Bridges was Son Little, another up-and -coming R&B artist with a heavier rock emphasis. As the lights came back on before Bridges’ set, there was a fair amount of anticipation in the crowd. The intermission between sets was somewhat lengthy, but as Bridges’ band took the stage, the crowd lit up with enthusiasm. The performers on instruments included a saxophonist, two guitarists and a bassist, drums and accompaniments on organ, tambourine and more. The band was dressed up in suits and ties seemingly a throwback to the ’60. This was much like Bridges’ own fashion style, which is pure retro, likely what some of his favorite artists from that era wore. Bridges received great applause as he grooved his way to the microphone, doing a dance that also looked like something of the ’60s.
“Smooth Sailin,” the opening song, had a great rhythm and saxophone solo that brought the crowd to their feet and kept them there the entire night. In the first several songs, Bridges demonstrated classy showmanship and camaraderie with his band. In between his dances or a snap of the fingers, the band and Bridges were perfectly in sync with each beat and hit, a feature that is less frequently mastered among today’s performers, which is part of the appeal and experience of a live band. Bridges explained his connection with the band members when he introduced them, noting that some of them have been with him since his earliest performances. Although his catalogue of songs isn’t deep since he is a young artist, Coming Home was more than enough to engage the crowd in every song, and it flowed seamlessly in the alternative order Bridges performed it in.
His performance of “Better Man” where he proclaims he’d “swim the Mississippi River” to get another chance with his girl, garnered a great cheer from the crowd. His solo acoustic performance of “River” highlighted Bridges’ ability to perform alone as well, and he did not crack under the spotlight, as his vocals on this slow, gospel-rooted piece was a highlight of the evening. Although Bridges appeared to be finished shortly after this song, the audience beckoned for an encore, and the band and the singer came back to perform an additional two songs, some of which were written while touring.
Bridges’ concert was definitely a blast from the past, but is as entertaining a performance as there is today. Bridges effortlessly pulls the audience in to match the groove of every song and gets the crowd to echo his lyrics. Bridges may be cut from a different cloth than today’s contemporary singers, but his style is authentically his own, with his clear passion and enjoyment of the music infecting the audience until they’re dancing with him.