Concert review: Living Colour at The Granada in Dallas (September 19)

by Mike Orren

Living Colour: "Flying"

This is from a recent show and gives a good idea of the multimedia setup.

DALLAS — Until I saw the listing for their show at The Granada, I'd completely lost touch with Living Colour, one of my favorite bands from my college days. I had never gotten to see them live during their heyday, so was thrilled to see that their 1995 break-up had been short-lived and that they were rolling into town in support of a new album.

From the moment they took the stage with early track "Desperate People," it was clear that age had not dampened the power of this superlative funk / hard-rock band. Sure, there's less spandex, and when band members occasionally wandered out into the crowd you couldn't miss the tinges of gray in their beards. But it's also clear that over 20 years, they have honed their chops to the point that live versions of their songs often exceed the studio originals. While Vernon Reid often gets credit as one of the top lead guitarists anywhere, it was the rhythm section that really caught our attention, as bassist Doug Wimbish and drummer Will Calhoun drove extended jams and a tight wall of sound that was both hard and melodic. And while it took him a while to really warm up, by mid-show, the butcher-apron-clad Corey Glover's trademark soulful growl was in prime shape.

The band worked its way through a two-hour set, heavy on old favorites, but with an extended run through most of their new album, The Chair in the Doorway, at the middle of the set. It's a good sign of a great band when the crowd responds to the largely-unknown new material with the same vigor as the classics. Of course, that may also be indicative of a room of die-hard fans, as the respectable-but-not-sold-out Granada crowd was singing along to even the more obscure works.

One thing you have to give Living Colour is that they work a show like a hungry, up-and-coming band. There were no halfhearted rushes through mandatory classics. Each song got either an extended jam or a re-work. Most were successful, although I didn't much care for the re-do on "Type," one of my faves from their second disc, Time's Up. Probably the most successful number was an extended jammy version of "Bi" that brought the first of a half-dozen standing ovations. Less so was "Glamour Boys," which was well-done but felt far more dated than the rest of the band's catalog. Also dated was Glover's exhortation to the crowd to call their favorite radio station and demand airplay for the band. (Is there a radio station in DFW that would play any Living Colour track other than "Cult of Personality?")

On several occasions, band members made their way out into the crowd, playing or singing shoulder to shoulder with fans in the back of the house. They came with a cool multimedia presentation that superimposed relevant, but not overly-literal, computer graphics over live shots of the band -- echoing the production values of their big MTV hit "Cult of Personality." Each song had its own set of graphics that had clearly been carefully thought out. Although I'm not generally a fan of the drum solo, Calhoun came forth with an amazing one that included a really cool effect with multicolored neon drumsticks on an otherwise dark stage.

One surprise for me was that a band that is typically really dark and angry (even more so on their newest disc) was so genial and upbeat in person. They were obviously genuinely having a good time and joked their way through the set, even when they hit an occasional technical snag. At the end of the show, they were high-fiving and shaking hands with the appreciative crowd, promising to appear at the merch table to "sign anything you want us to sign."

After a long set, the band returned for a two-song encore, starting with offering a vote-by-applause choice between "Love Rears its Ugly Head" and "Elvis is Dead" and then proceeding to play both. "Elvis" was a fun and fitting evening to the night, as it showcased the band's versatility, ability to better-than-replicate heavy studio production live and its knack for engaging the crowd. Even 20 years on, this is a band that clearly is still quite Vivid.