Wow. A wordsmith would find a better adjective such as sensational, electrifying, or spectacular to describe the immersion into a live concert with Tank and the Bangas along with opener Cory Henry but this writer’s going to stick with wow.
Tank and the Bangas kicked off their 2022 tour at Delmar Hall in St. Louis on March 9 to what must have been a sold-out room.
New Orleans-based Tank and the Bangas took the stage at 9:15 p.m. and just let it all out. They brought the house down from the get go with their dynamic presence and full sound. Don’t try and put this charismatic group into a box by defining a category of music — they just won’t fit as their sound spills into jazz, hip hop, spoken word, funk, soul, and beyond.
Of their sound, Vulture said, “The rhythm gets in your muscles,” when explaining this band.
Vocalist Tarriona Ball, aka Tank, is a force like you’ve never seen with her energy and enthusiasm pouring out with every beat.
See more photos from the concert here: https://bit.ly/TankB22cz
The focus of the night was all eyes on Tank. Not only did her vivacity pull you in, but her vibrant garb flowed all around her making her larger than life.
Their third studio album Red Balloon drops May 13 and this writer will definitely be adding it to her collection and thinks you should, too.
Songs at the concert included “Big” and “No ID.”
Brooklyn native Cory Henry opened the night to the growing crowd with a rousing 70-minute set. And you could tell he was nowhere near ready to stop performing. Armed with a Hammond organ, Roland keyboard, and a Moog synthesizer, Henry kicked his set off with a long, purely instrumental piece before bringing out singers Matia Washington and Lenesha Randolph and transitioning into such songs as “Happy Days” and the soulful, gospel mix of “GawtDamn.” He then shifted to a lot more funk with “Switch,” then toned it back down with “Alone,” which he wrote during the pandemic and said he learned, “it can be okay to be alone.” He and the rest of The Funk Apostles ended the night on the rousing, anthemic “Rise.”
It was an honor and a privilege to be able to see (and photograph) not one but two Grammy-nominated performers give their all up close and personal.
Find more photos from the concert here: https://bit.ly/TankB22cz
Up next at Delmar Hall: https://www.thepageant.com/calendar/
