Music/Live Reviews

Who: André 3000: New Blue Sun Live
Where: Massey Hall
When: Fri., June 28
Vibe: An earnest group of music lovers enthusiastic about a band’s first album, where the lead singer is wildly famous for something else.
Highlight: Andre 3000 possibly having a future career as a comedian.
Rating: NNNN (out of 5)

MASSEY HALL is a mosaic of people donning their earthiest fits for New Blue Sun Live. It’s likely one of the older crowds André 3000 has ever performed for. After a few decades as one-half of legendary rap group OutKast, he affirms his credibility in a different genre.

The lights dim, casting the stage in a series of different hues of blue. The entire band takes its place, and Andre sits in the middle on the ground, surrounded by his flutes. The band, featuring Carlos Niño, Nate Mercereau and Surya Boto, starts without him, delivering a captivating and unique performance. With a mix of scattered percussion and colourful chords, they create the space for the flutist everyone came to see to shine.

His play is not splashy; it is more harmonious and ambient. The crowd remains silent throughout, with fewer phones out than you would usually see at a concert and no applause between songs … there is no between songs.

About 35 minutes into the set, André addresses the crowd, letting them know everything they had just heard was being improvised.

“Everything you’re hearing right now we’re making it up on the spot,” he says, “We don’t know what we’re going to play when we hit the stage. But it keeps us honest, keeps it fresh. So, it’s exciting for us. I hope it’s exciting for y’all.”

He takes some time to acknowledge all the members of the band, whom he calls “legends in their own right.” The lights go blue again, but this time, they have a spotlight to match. With André leading the way, the band continues its brand of rhythmless jazz. The free-form musical journey includes sounds from nature, raindrops, birds flying and whatever fits the energy of the music.

The lights are the stars of the show — from a series of red flashes during a thunderous crescendo to a mix of fog and white light during a more atmospheric part of the set.

Shortly after gushing about his love for Indigenous cultures, André breaks out what seems to be an Indigenous-language chant. Quickly, the phones come out; it seems as though not only has André mastered another instrument, but he has also learned a new language.

While wrapping up the chant, he tells us it was all a facade and that the entire chant was gibberish.

He promises to “take the energy up” and closes out the show on a high note. With great contributions from the percussionists, the band ascends into their exit. Met by the sparse “whoop” from the crowd during their final number, they are properly sent off with a standing ovation.

André bows a few times before leaving the stage, his final nonverbal expression of gratitude.