Black Pumas
Brooklyn Steel
Brooklyn, NY
September 14, 2021
Photos and Review by Ken Grand-Pierre
Over the years, I’ve grown to love that tangible feeling of anticipation that happens leading up to a concert. It’s a feeling that transcends music genres and actively reminds me that we all have more in common than we recognize in a day to day fashion.
That feeling I’m describing was incredibly potent as I entered Brooklyn Steel for night 2 of Black Pumas 4 night run. The story goes that singer/songwriter Eric Burton made a name for himself busking in Austin, Texas, which lead to a friend recommendation that he worked with Grammy Award-winning guitarist and producer Adrian Quesada, a well respected figure in the Austin music scene. The two hit it off, with Burton’s voice proving to be the missing ingredient for the R&B inspired songs that Quesada was working on. What started out as a modest endeavor changed when the duo released Colors, a life changing song that’s catapulted the Pumas to worldwide acclaim. As of now, Colors has been streamed over 69 million times on Spotify and the Pumas self-titled debut album was nominated for 4 Grammy’s, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for Colors.
So after all this success the obvious question is: how do Black Pumas hold up live? Right before the pandemic, the band enjoyed a run of sold out dates in Europe and this latest US tour has been eagerly anticipated since last March. An original 2 night run at Brooklyn Steel had grown to a vast 4 night run, each night sold out by people dying to hear the Pumas bluesy R&B within a concert hall.
After a soothing DJ set by LA-based musician Pachyman, the lights of Brooklyn Steel turned off and Because by The Beatles began to play from the speakers. The Black Pumas band members walked on stage to flickering lights and a never ending wave of thunderous applause. Frontman Eric Burton dashed on stage and started singing album cut Next to You.
Within seconds it was clear that we were in for a special night, the energy of the band was at full speed within Next to You and never faltered throughout their set. Major show highlights included their extended version of Stay Gold, which featured a golden lighting treatment that enveloped the room beautifully. Each song was met with passionate cheers where you could tell that everyone in the room was grateful to be experiencing live music of such a high caliber. That cheering beautifully continued as the band eventually closed their main set with Colors, where Burton notably left the last chorus for the audience to sing in union.
Black Pumas
