We All Want A Love Bizarre

I was in the presence of legends on Tuesday night, and it was one of the many nights of my life when I couldn’t help but get emotional about it. I started this blog just as a writer. I was (and still am) just someone trying to capture all of the amazing concerts I went to night after night. As time went on, I picked up a camera and started capturing memories with photos. It’s been a wild ride since that started. Not only have I seen and captured a lot, I’ve learned a lot both in my writing and photography, so it was pretty wild to see the first musician I ever photographed live again for the first time since December 2018. What’s even more wild is that that first musician was the one and only Sheila E.

Where do you even begin when it comes to such an incredible lady like Sheila E.? Born Sheila Escovedo (yes, her dad is the one and only Pete Escovedo), Sheila E.’s resume is beyond extensive. She has played with everyone from Herbie Hancock to Lionel Richie. The way I fell into her world was through her work with Prince. She served not only as the drummer and collaborator on projects like Purple Rain, but she was also his musical director for a time. Beyond all of those collaborations, Sheila still found time to put out her own music. It’s a distinctive blend of styles, including, but not limited to, R&B, funk, jazz, pop, salsa– the list goes on and on and I was beyond honored to experience it all on Tuesday night at the beautiful Dakota as Sheila E. took the stage with her famed E-Train band.

There are so many different elements of Tuesday night’s show I could talk about, from the music to the overall vibe of the night to the way that Sheila got up close and personal with fans while singing and roaming the audience to sign merchandise, and, truthfully, I’m a bit overwhelmed when it comes to deciding where to focus my energy, so let’s talk about my favorite thing about the night– the feeling. Don’t get me wrong, the music was great, but it was so far from my standard concert that I’m sure I would say all of the wrong words. I don’t exactly know what to call the style of music played other than funky swagger-drenched jazz, but again, I’m sure someone would call me out on being wrong on that. What I won’t be called out on is the feeling of love that was clearly in the air throughout the nearly 90-minute performance.

It started off as love shared throughout the stage. Sheila wasn’t the only legend on stage. She was joined by an incredible band made up of musicians who, in their own right, were legends. That goes beyond who these people were. All of the players on the stage were legends in their own right. You had the cousin of Sly Stone, people from Prince’s past, honestly, it was a bit overwhelming to hear all of the accolades on stage as Sheila took the time to introduce each member, but that wasn’t as overwhelming as the talent. As everyone took a couple of minutes to do a solo within the first couple of songs of the set, I was utterly flabbergasted. It wasn’t just the technical talent that struck me; it was the way that each of these musicians felt the music in a different way. Although all playing to the same beat and, from what I could tell, the same key signature, every solo felt like a whole other world that not only showcased each member’s talent but also their creativity. From swirling piano notes to a truly epic bassline that was never ending and, at times, closer to a rock bass solo than antyhing else, I was in awe of it all and it made me feel like rushing home to my piano and trying my hand at improv again (even though I have tried many times in the past and I’m just straight up not great at it).

Throughout every solo and every song in general, there was this sense of love that was radiating throughout the stage. The amount of respect that each member showed the other members was incredible. From going to sit in the shadows when there was some downtime for one of the members to the way they would hoot and holler when one of their fellow musicians really nailed a solo or found a way to put in a little musical joke here or there, I just could not shake the feeling that I was watching more than just legendary musicians perform, I was watching a group of great friends hanging out. Sheila E. could probably pick anyone she wanted to play with, but this showed that she picked people who were not only incredibly talented, but ones that she truly admired herself, which just added to that whole “sitting among giants” kind of feeling that I had throughout the night.

That feeling of love and friendship didn’t stop at the stage. Right before ending the performance, Sheila took some time to address the room. She talked about how this world is dark, but music is bright. Okay, that’s not exactly what she said but she was speaking with so much heart and conviction that I didn’t take any notes from exactly what she said but it was mostly just about how this world is truly a dark place and things are happening that are quite terrible but, for music lovers, we have an escape, we can find solace in the beauty of music and the community that comes with music. She took this a step further and urged the audience to look at a stranger next to them, shake their hand, and tell them that you love them. It felt a bit church-y and it took a second for people to warm up to this idea but, eventually, love spread like wildfire and you were shaking hands with strangers and telling these people that you love them because, like Sheila pointed out, sometimes someone just needs to hear that they are loved for everything to change so why not be the change. Cheesy? Absolutely, and again, it gave me flashbacks to my brief church going days, but I got the sentiment, and I loved the way it made the room feel.

I could clearly go on and on about Tuesday night’s performance. It was truly lovely in every sense of that word. Although I was absolutely in the presence of legends, the night was so much more than just that, but the problem is, if you weren’t at this show, my words wouldn’t make you feel what I felt. You wouldn’t be able to taste the excitement as a side dish to the delicious food of The Dakota. You wouldn’t feel the chills I felt as Sheila E. walked right by me as she wandered the audience to sign things. You wouldn’t see the dryness of my eyes that came from my unwillingness to blink because I didn’t want to miss a single second of this performance. You weren’t there and my words will never do this show full justice, but I can tell you that this was a heck of a show and that I love you.