April 02, 2015
By Troy Tieuel
LAWT Contributing Writer
Charlie Wilson blazed a trail of music and style that began over forty years ago as a founding member of the Gap Band, and has burned up the chart, year by year as a solo artist who is able to transcend the boundaries of time via a style and beguiling lyrical content apparent in his March 26 performance at Downtown Los Angeles’ Nokia Theater.
Opening for Wilson was singer and songwriter Joe, who is best known for his hit song ‘Still Not a Player’ and Kem, a smooth jazzy singer that boasts an 8 year career that has garnered him a large following of fans. Each of these artists did their performances and wowed the crowd, but most of them had come to see ‘Uncle Charlie.’
Wilson, who is known for his time being addicted to drugs was not shy about his usage exclaiming that he was on crack and had freed himself of his addiction right before hitting a few smooth dance moves that set the Nokia crowd on fire. At age 62, Wilson’s style rests between reformed pimp, and billionaire playboy, as he surrounded himself with four fabulous dancers and donned several stylized suits each with a matching fedora. The most outstanding of them all was a pure white outfit that sported a series of electronic LED lights that changed colors as Wilson and his dancers, each wearing a similar outfit, continued to perform, the lights of the show dimmed and their colorful LEDs illuminating the crowd.
Wilson’s show was no let down containing all the pomp and circumstance of a concert from one of his veteran contemporaries yet sporting a fan base that ranged from 80s babies all the way to those with silver crowns. Each generation jamming to each Charlie Wilson hit. Laser lights and colored gels illuminated the stage and people from all over Southern California moved and grooved down the aisles and in their seats.
As the show ended, those in the crowd sat eagerly waiting, chanting “Charlie, Charlie,” expecting him to reemerge from behind the curtain like Prince at the Forum back in 2011. Sadly the crowd dispersed, but the eager energy still floated in the air as they headed into the LA Live courtyard to find a meal or a bed to recline in. Unlike most big concerts, this event was on a Thursday and most of those present expressed concerns of work in the morning hours.
Wilson, Joe and Kem are off to one final stop on this tour in Oakland, California on March 27 at the Oracle Arena. Previous venues have included February 12 in Cleveland, OH at the Wolstein Center, February 28 in Chicago, IL at the United Center, March 5 in Brooklyn, NY at the Barclays Center, and March 15 in Houston, TX at the Toyota Center.
For more information on Charlie Wilson, go to http://www.charliewilsonmusic.com/.