D'Angelo: de laatste shows in Paradiso

“Especially in the second half of the set, sparks fly off the stage. The band funks relentlessly, in the spirit of mentor Bootsy Collins: so filthy it feels good, making something out of nothing. Time and again, D’Angelo cuts off the groove only to bring it roaring back, bursting with the energy of a young James Brown. He marches and dances across the stage, high-fiving the crowd. When the funk marathon finally ends close to midnight — after more than half an hour without a break — the audience drifts out, drenched in sweat. But with one last encore, D’Angelo carries the show into the new day. Those who stood at the back for the first two hours can now move forward for the closing pieces: Till It’s Done (Tutu), featuring a jaw-dropping drum solo from Dave, and Untitled, with breathtaking solo and group vocals.”

By Randy Timmers

“Margreet Baalman found the show dynamic: funky and rocking, yet intimate and tender at times. The band — with Pino Palladino’s rolling basslines — could do it all. Every note was razor-sharp yet effortlessly loose. They stretched Feel Like Making Love into a sprawling funk jam, followed by a sensual interlude with the ballad Really Love. Reviewer Peter van Brummelen wrote in Het Parool the next day that D’Angelo’s voice ‘flowed from the stage like a river of honey.’ New songs filled the set, but not everyone caught the political message behind The Charade, about the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. Only a few raised their fists as he sang: All we wanted was a chance to talk / ’stead we only got outlined in chalk.”

By Hester Carvalho