The trademarks of the band Living Colour, Corey Glover's outstanding voice, Vernon Reid's blazing guitar, and the solid rhythm section, were all on display last night at PromoWest Pavilion. Back on tour despite not having released a studio album since 1993's neglected gem Stain, Living Colour did not look or sound like a band that has only played a handful of shows in the past few years since reuniting. 
 

The set was a nice mix of Living Colour's catalog with a peek into what the band is working on for their new album (set for release in September). After starting with arguably their second best known song, "Open Letter," they immediately went to a new song that was a bit heavy handed. "Operation Mind Control" with lyrics like "This is a fight for America's soul," was a reminder of Living Colour's social leanings. A slightly understated song about 9/11 was debuted near the end. There was also a nice bluesy song that may be called "World Keeps Spinning Around."

Songs from Vivid dominated the set. And other than the four new songs, only "Ignorance is Bliss" and "Middle Man" weren't included on Living Colour's greatest hits package, Pride. While it would have been nice to see them dig a bit deeper into their catalog, Living Colour easily gave the crowd what they wanted.

For me, the highlight was "Memories Can't Wait," a Talking Heads cover that was included on Living Colour's first album. Dressed in all red and with his head shaved, Glover emphasized the schizophrenic nature of the lyrics of this song. The song went from screeching, both vocally and instrumentally, to soulful. It has always been one of my favorite songs and each time I hear something new through all the different versions I have heard by the band. This version seemed appropriate for Brad Pitt in the movie "12 Monkeys."

Living Colour has always been distinguished by their ability to mix genres and styles, often, as in the case of "Memories Can't Wait," with the same song. The band was able to move from hard rock to soul to hip-hop to reggae effortlessly. They were aided in this by Glover's ability to move from an all-out roar to a whisper or a scat as needed. Glover has always had one of the strongest voices in rock and roll. On this night, he was as clear as a bell and proved that his sound wasn't enhanced in the studio.
 

Set List

Open Letter (to a Landlord) - Vivid

Operation Mind Control? - New

Ignorance is Bliss - Stain

Someone Out There? - New

Middle Man - Vivid

Time's Up - Time's Up

World Keeps Spinning Round? - New

Sacred Ground - Pride

Love Rears Its Ugly Head - Time's Up

Funny Vibe - Vivid

9/11? - New

Type - Time's Up

Cult of Personality - Vivid

Reid's guitar work was spectacular as always. He has long been an under-appreciated axe-man. He left his imprint on such hits as "Middle Man" and "Cult of Personality." Although small, the crowd ate up his solos. Bassist Doug Wimbash and drummer Will Calhoun weren't merely there to keep time. Each added a certain flair to the set. Because of the various styles of songs, Wimbash was able to alter his sound. Calhoun had some great fills and a nice drum solo.

PromoWest is a great place to see a show. Unfortunately there was only about a crowd of 800 at the show, but those near the stage were really into it. The group on the lawn was sparse but still had a great view of the show. There were a couple of technical problems, but the band handled it well, at one point restarting a song from the beginning.

L.P. from New York City had a solid set opening for Living Colour and trying to keep the crowd warm on a chilly night. Fronted by a female singer with a strong voice, L.P. was somewhere between the rock of Blondie and the alterna-pop of Letters to Cleo. They received a warm response from the crowd. As Is, a local band, was only distinguished by the fact that their lead singer reminded me of my friend Charnsin. Their heavy sound filled the air before the gates to the pavilion opened.