Raphael Saadiq @ 9:30 Club - 2/9/20 [DC]
Raphael Saddiq bringing the TRUTH to the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. - 2/9/20 (Photo ©2020 Avery Junius)
For over 30 years, musical savant and triple threat (singer, songwriter, producer) Raphael Saadiq has run the game. From leading the multi-platinum 1990's group Tony! Toni! Tone!, to having Executive Producer credits on Solange's highly acclaimed A Seat at the Table, plus a Grammy Award with a plethora of nominations, Saadiq's name is forever a part of modern music history.
Taking the stage in a dazzling leather jacket Saadiq and his band kicked off a second sold-out night at Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club with Jimmy Lee tracks "Sinner's Prayer" and "I'm Feeling Love." Lee, a song cycle told from the perspective of his late brother, who died of a drug overdose in the 1990's, is Saadiq's most personal work to date. But while the setlist leaned heavily on Lee, passionate fans were treated to classics such as "Anniversary" and "Feels Good." and more.
The highlight of the evening though, came when the legend insisted that everyone "...do this the right way," abruptly halting his single "Still Ray" (from 2002's Instant Vintage) to welcome D.C.'s Backyard Band (who happened to have cranked the song to another level themselves in 2004) to the stage to fire it up and close out a remarkable two nights of music.
Check out more photos from Raphael Saadiq's performance below, along with opening sets from Jamila Woods and DJ DUGGZ.
