Myra Flynn's Blog

Until last Tuesday night, May 6, I had not ever never been to a concert where overmore than 2,000 people did not move or speak during the whole show.¶

But let me back up. I drove to Montreal to check out soul queen Erykah Badu and hip-hop sensation The Roots. I have been a Badu fan since I was old enough to pop a cassette in the player and I'd not had a lot of experience with The Roots. All in all, this was a night to look forward to.¶

Surprisingly, the whole trip was hassle free, and I managed to make it to the Jacques Cartier Pierre at aroundabout 5 p.m. I always forget how beautiful the Old Port of Montreal is with its quaint stores and cobblestone roads. I sat outside with a friend and took it all in.¶

About an hour later, people began walking by our table with giant head wraps and picked-out afros. It became apparent that this was the crowd going to the show; this was the crowd to followIt was apparent that this was the crowd to follow. So we did.¶

The line was relatively hassle-free as well. My ticket was right there at the booth as promised and I was quickly moved to the front of the outdoor venue and just in time. At 6:45 p.m. the lights went on, and The Roots came out. I have always appreciated The Roots as an alternative hip-hop band due to their conscious politically motivated lyrics and rock'n' roll instrumental tendencies. I'm not sure if I was actually able to understand anything that Black Thought (the emcee) was saying, but I know one member stood out; Captain Kirk Douglas on the guitar. Douglas wailed on his electric while scatting to the highest of notes giving him a Prince-like screech. His use of a Stiletto amp gave him a warm blend on the bass notes and a sharp edge on the high keeping the giant tuba, vintage Rhodes keyboard and even the iconic drummer ?uestlove at a gentle distance while he took the lead. To delve even further into his rock and roll "Roots" (pun intended), Douglas dismissed the band and belted a soulful rendition of Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" in full dedication to George W. Bush. Politically motivated indeed.¶

This was all fine and dandy until I realized that is was 9 p.m., and although The Roots were fun and funky, it was getting cold. Where was my girl Erykah?¶

I made friends with the folks behind me, as they were kind enough to let me practice my broken French on them. They told me they weren't huge fans of either performing artist but simply looking for a reason to get out. For the next hour, I gave them some history on Badu while they proceeded to smoke about a pack of cigarettes in my face which I am completely blaming my current swollen glands on. Darn you outdoor music venues.¶

At 10:15 p.m. I really need to use the bathroom. The place was packed. Thousands of people were chanting "Ba-du! Ba-du!" and even the notion of venturing through them to use the restroom was a wasted thought. But at 10:30, there she was. Erykah Badu took center stage with three back up singers and as usual, a minimal band.¶

So, back to the 2,000 people who were not moving; that would be all of us. Erykah Badu commands your attention. She doesn't want you dancing and screaming and flailing about (this was proven during her World Wide Underground tour where she repeatedly scolded audiences for not paying attention) she wants you to listen. It's hard not to. I have never seen a performer so in control of her presence, from the way she blinks to the way she lifts her right pinky while sipping water. Badu is aware of herself, her band and her audience in almost this sixth sense kind of way. While singing, Badu's head rolls back far enough to view her fillings from the fourth row, and lets out sporadic howls while she contorts her head and hands. As an observer, you fear that if you blink you may miss the punch line of each shriek or the resolve or each trill. We all stood our ground with our mouths open and drank her in.

She has gone through some changes over the years. For those who don't know her, sShe has always been a statuesque singer, adorned in colorful dashikis and head wraps. She has been known to paint herself in henna tattoos and perform with stones on her appropriate shakras. She has been dubbed the queen of neo-soul, the ambassador of hippie-hip-hop and sometimes Mama Earth herself. For those of you who do know her music, hHer recent transitions have been hard on usher fans like me.¶

Badu stuck with that earthy sound and image from 1997 until 2003 when she traded her head wrap for an afro. Her music also changed from the lyrically charged and emotionally churning tunes we were used to, to more of an electronic beat. As of late, Badu is sans afro and has engaged herself in full production of last album "New Amerykah Part One (4th world War)" which she graciously gave us a taste of last night.¶

Her music has truly transitioned again and this time into a pure funk sound with collective vocals much like the soundtrack of 70s blacksploitation flicks. I bought the album the day is was released and honestly had a rough time accepting her new sound. There is nothing soothing about it. The vocals were originally recorded with Garage Band Macintosh software and Badu has a blast messing with different frequency pitches. Her vocals are more like chanting and to put it bluntly, it's just not the Erykah we know.¶

But as I watched her last night, I thought about that statement. How strange is it that as an audience we expect an artist to continue creating what we are used to? And what an artistic dilemma this must put them in. I concluded after watching Badu shake, rattle and roll that she may finally be in a place that doesn't involve emotional turmoil and her music is a reflection of such. If this is the case, I say good for her; truly loving a musician is being willing to follow them on whatever adventure they take and trusting that they will always create from the heart regardless of our comfort level. This is what defines song writers as artists instead of jukeboxes.¶

And what an artist she is.The whole Badu experience was much like watching a beautiful extra terrestrial have a musical seizure on stage. In short, she's brilliant, and we are lucky to have her visiting our planet.¶