playing for change tour starts tonight:

[PaulC]

The current members of the Playing For Change Band are: Clarence Bekker (lead vocals), Grandpa Elliott (lead vocals, harmonica) Tal Ben Ari "Tula" (lead vocals), Mermans Kenkosenki (lead vocals, congas), Louis Mhlanga (electric guitar), Jason Tamba (backup vocals, acoustic guitar), Reggie McBride (backup vocals, bass), Peter Bunetta (drum kit) and Mohammed Alidu (talking drum, djembe).

We hope you have the opportunity to see this amazing collection of world-traveling musicians. Please check our tour schedule to see when the Playing For Change Band will be performing at a venue near you!

Tour Dates
Oct. 20
Alexandria, VA
Birchmere

Oct. 22
Boston, MA
Orpheum Theatre

Oct. 23
Northampton, MA
Calvin Theatre

Oct. 24
Albany, NY
Empire Center at the Egg

Oct. 25
New York, NY
Town Hall

Oct. 27
Philadelphia, PA
Keswick Theatre

Oct. 29
Annapolis, MD
Rams Head on Stage

Oct. 30
Cleveland, OH
Masonic Auditorium

Oct. 31
Toronto, CANADA
Phoenix Music Hall

Nov. 2
Ann Arbor, MI
The Ark

Nov. 3
Chicago, IL
Park West

Nov. 4
Milwaukee, WI
Pabst Theater

Nov. 6
St. Paul, MN
The O'Shaughnessy

Nov. 7
Kansas City, MO
Uptown Theater

Nov. 8
Denver, CO
Denver Paramount

Nov. 9
Sante Fe, NM
Lensic Arts Center

Nov.12
Mesa, AZ
Mesa Arts Center

Nov.13
Los Angeles, CA
Club Nokia

Nov.14
Anaheim, CA
Grove of Anaheim

Nov.15
San Francisco, CA
Palace of Fine Arts

Nov.17
Portland, OR
Aladdin Theater

Nov.18
Seattle, WA
Moore Theatre

Nov.19
Vancouver, Canada
Commodore Ballroom

[sharon_loves_fats]

:D I have my ticket for the 30th. Can't wait for this!!! Anyone going to any of the earlier shows? Please post reviews!!

[revjimk]

Sounds interesting, but I'm clueless about the band.... what kinda music?
rev

[steeleye]

:D I have my ticket for the 30th. Can't wait for this!!! Anyone going to any of the earlier shows? Please post reviews!!

I'm going to the Philly show this coming Tuesday. Will post a review.

[Irishnms]

I am SO glad you guys are going! This is a not-to-be-missed show ... NOT TO BE MISSED I TELL YA!

It will be songs you know and love, with a fantastic, unbelievable vibe!

[Rossvegas]

I almost pulled the trigger and bought a ticket for the Oct. 31st show here in Toronto, but that's Haloweenie. Then again, I don't have any plans, so.... :>)

[windowman]

Sounds interesting, but I'm clueless about the band.... what kinda music?
rev

Uplifting, joyous music played by joyful folks. Sonic brownies. Go see them!

[Fred (Texas JF Fanatic)]

I almost pulled the trigger and bought a ticket for the Oct. 31st show here in Toronto, but that's Haloweenie. Then again, I don't have any plans, so.... :>)

Just Do It!!!
:)

[sharon_loves_fats]

I'm going to the Philly show this coming Tuesday. Will post a review.

Awesome, Murray. Sure to be a great time!!

[sharon_loves_fats]

I am SO glad you guys are going! This is a not-to-be-missed show ... NOT TO BE MISSED I TELL YA!

It will be songs you know and love, with a fantastic, unbelievable vibe!

Uplifting, joyous music played by joyful folks. Sonic brownies. Go see them!

I'm so friggin' excited!!! :D

[steeleye]

I am SO glad you guys are going! This is a not-to-be-missed show ... NOT TO BE MISSED I TELL YA!

It will be songs you know and love, with a fantastic, unbelievable vibe!

Given your fantastic review, I'm sure it will be something special. Just downloaded my ticket for Tuesday and can't wait. (Neither can my like-minded friend from Cleveland.)

[Irishnms]

Given your fantastic review, I'm sure it will be something special. Just downloaded my ticket for Tuesday and can't wait. (Neither can my like-minded friend from Cleveland.)

That is just too awesome for words Steeleye!! I am so excited for you, and can't wait to hear from you on Wednesday!

[bluesboy]

Caught them in Northampton Ma. on the 23rd! Great show. Hoping to see them at Jazzfest in 2010. Tula not in the lineup for this show.

[wahinemicha]

Given your fantastic review, I'm sure it will be something special. Just downloaded my ticket for Tuesday and can't wait. (Neither can my like-minded friend from Cleveland.)

Aloha Steeleye! How are ya? Awaitin your review from Tuesday's show too. Very excited to be seeing them here on Friday !

[steeleye]

PFC rolled through the Philly burbs last night delivering their uplifiting message that music is a unifying, peace-evoking, world-changing medium. If you haven't seen it, think of a much cooler version of Up With People produced by Threadheads.

With no opening act, the group strolled onstage at 8:10. Belatedly, Granpa Elliott was escorted to his stool amidst appreciative applause by the 800 or so attendees. (The venue holds about 1300.) The band consited of everyone from the top of this thread except Tula. Impresario Mark Johnson, who is from Philadelphia and had his parents in the audience, gave a brief background of the project and ended by saying of their work that they were "in the joy business." With that, the band launched into "Just Gimme a Reason."

The first half of the show consisted of some cover songs from their CD interspersed with each of the musicians taking a turn leading a song of their own. This was one of the best sections of the show since it showcased not only the skill of each musician, but also the style of music from their country of origin. Heavy on reggae and African/World percussion, the rhythmic structure of some of these songs was wonderful. Granpa's song here (didn't catch the title) was a mighty fine blues-harmonica piece. I realize these folks are using cover songs to connect with a broad audience, but I truly enjoyed their indigenous material. Another early highlight was a song called "Mr. Morality." After an hour, the band took an intermission.

Twenty minutes later the band returned for some more pumped-up covers. Highlights were tour-de-force performances of "What's Goin' On" and "A Change Is Gonna Come." Also, lead guitarist Louis Mhlenga's original composition, "Children of the World", was very good. When he was given an opportunity to solo throughout the night, he proved to be a very accomplished guitar player as well.

Encore was Jocko's "Billie Jean" (?) and followed by a smoking hot "Stand By Me." The band left the stage to thunderous applause, leaving Granpa Elliott sitting alone, bathed in a single purple spotlight. After what seemed like an eternity (isn't somebody gonna help poor Granpa off the stage?) he stands up and, acapella, absolutely kills the first verse of "Amazing Grace." (Eat your heart out Aaron Neville.) This brought the house down and made every hair on the back of my neck stand up. Exhilarating.

Granpa is an absolute treasure. His voice is as remarkable as his harp playing. And even though he's blind, you can tell by the timbre of his voice that he's seen a few things in his time.

This is a great show. Don't miss it.

[Irishnms]

Oh Steeleye, that is a wonderfully written review! Thank you. It actually brought a tear to my eye! I am so glad you liked it as much as I did! :)

[Lit]

Wow, haven't thought about "Up with People" since I saw it decades ago. Nice throw-back reference.

"Bille Jean" is a strange call indeed for that context. One of these things is not like the other.... If they wanted an MJ cover, at least they could have chosen "Man in the Mirror" or "Black or White," both of which contain themes a bit more in line with the rest of the show. Nonetheless, sounds like a great show. Unfortunately I have conflicts with the dates of all the shows closest to me.

[Apostrophe (')]

wow, awesome review! just bought tickets for 11/17.

[steeleye]

You're all welcome. Happy to oblige those who cannot or have not seen the show.

[wahinemicha]

Wow !!! Now I'm even more excited for the show here on Friday ! Thanks so much for such a well written review. Hoping for a great turnout as well. You have a safe and incredibly fun time at VooDoo, ok?

[VWGal]

Wow, haven't thought about "Up with People" since I saw it decades ago. Nice throw-back reference.

Neither have I, and I don't want to admit it, but I loved Up with People. Most exciting thing to hit our little town in decades.

[radi8tors]

Anybody heading to Annapolis tom.?
Sha?

Playing for Change Band
Peace Through Music
Thursday, October 29
8pm
$45.00

WATCH: Stand By Me - over 14 million YouTube views!

feat. Mohammed Alidu - Ghana, Peter Bunetta - Los Angeles, Grandpa Elliott - New Orleans, Mermans Kenkosenki - DR Congo, Louis Mhlanga - Zimbabwe, Juan Carlos Portillo - Venezuela, Jason Tamba - DR Congo, Titi Tsira - South Africa

The Playing For Change band features musicians from around the globe, many of whom appeared in the now ubiquitous "Stand By Me" video (which has been viewed on the internet more than 30 million times) including New Orleans based blues singer Grandpa Elliott and soul singer Clarence Bekker from Amsterdam. Momentum has continued to build for the project as founder Mark Johnson and the musicians of Playing For Change were just named "Persons of the Week" on ABC's "World News Tonight with Charlie Gibson."

Playing for Change

[sharon_loves_fats]

Beautiful review, Murray!

...gave a brief background of the project and ended by saying of their work that they were "in the joy business."

Love that :)


The band left the stage to thunderous applause, leaving Granpa Elliott sitting alone, bathed in a single purple spotlight. After what seemed like an eternity (isn't somebody gonna help poor Granpa off the stage?) he stands up and, acapella, absolutely kills the first verse of "Amazing Grace." (Eat your heart out Aaron Neville.) This brought the house down and made every hair on the back of my neck stand up. Exhilarating.


WOW, special indeed! Soooo looking forward to this show!!!

[sharon_loves_fats]

Wow !!! Now I'm even more excited for the show here on Friday !

Me too!!! We're gonna have a great time :D

[sharon_loves_fats]

Anybody heading to Annapolis tom.?


Have a great time, Tony!

[Michelino]

You're all welcome. Happy to oblige those who cannot or have not seen the show.

Nice review! Thanks

[wladybugw]

Thanks for the great review Murray! Have a wonderful time at voodoo, hope to see pics of the Gilligan Krewe. I wasn't able to make it to see this in Boston, but really wanted to. It is funny how well Billie Jean translates to a blues song, I saw a solo blues guitarist named Samuel James recently that did it as a blues song. Sharon and Michelle, have a great time at the show Friday!!

[sharon_loves_fats]

WOW, joyous, indeed!!!! After all the rave reviews, I knew it was gonna be a great show, but I tried to keep my expectations in check. Turns out I shouldn't have bothered - INCREDIBLE SHOW that surpassed all expectations!!! The absolute highlight for me was Gimme One Reason. Other highlights Bring It On Home, Three Little Birds, and Sugar is Sweet from Granpa Elliott's new cd. Stand By Me made me teary eyed, as did Granpa's Amazing Grace. Granpa was clearly the star of the show. The audience just went nuts for him at every opportunity. Speaking of the audience, that was another highlight for me. The show was moved to a smaller venue and the place was absolutely packed. Everyone there totally "got it" and was mesmerized by the show. No one talked, no one checked their messages, no one texted, no one wandered out to the lobby. A beautiful, appreciative audience for an incredible collection of musicians. Made me proud to be there!

[Rossvegas]

Neither have I, and I don't want to admit it, but I loved Up with People. Most exciting thing to hit our little town in decades.

I'm offended. I thought I was the most exciting thing to hit Souris, but apparently I was wrong. Sniff...

[wahinemicha]

WOW, joyous, indeed!!!! After all the rave reviews, I knew it was gonna be a great show, but I tried to keep my expectations in check. Turns out I shouldn't have bothered - INCREDIBLE SHOW that surpassed all expectations!!! The absolute highlight for me was Gimme One Reason. Other highlights Bring It On Home, Three Little Birds, and Sugar is Sweet from Granpa Elliott's new cd. Stand By Me made me teary eyed, as did Granpa's Amazing Grace. Granpa was clearly the star of the show. The audience just went nuts for him at every opportunity. Speaking of the audience, that was another highlight for me. The show was moved to a smaller venue and the place was absolutely packed. Everyone there totally "got it" and was mesmerized by the show. No one talked, no one checked their messages, no one texted, no one wandered out to the lobby. A beautiful, appreciative audience for an incredible collection of musicians. Made me proud to be there!

YES YES YES. All that and then some.....WOW is about all I can say....and AMAZING ! Thanks, Sharon !

[Irishnms]

YAAY! So happy you girls had a wonderful time! I think Clarence Bekker will be a big star one day too! He has such a presence about him!

[sharon_loves_fats]

YAAY! So happy you girls had a wonderful time! I think Clarence Bekker will be a big star one day too! He has such a presence about him!

I think I'm in love with him. The man can move... ;)

[sharon_loves_fats]

http://i1011.photobucket.com/albums/af234/zydecogal/posting/pfc6.jpg
http://i1011.photobucket.com/albums/af234/zydecogal/posting/pfc1.jpg
http://i1011.photobucket.com/albums/af234/zydecogal/posting/pfc2.jpg

[sharon_loves_fats]

http://i1011.photobucket.com/albums/af234/zydecogal/posting/pfc3.jpg
http://i1011.photobucket.com/albums/af234/zydecogal/posting/pfc5.jpg
http://i1011.photobucket.com/albums/af234/zydecogal/posting/pfc4.jpg

[Irishnms]

Thank you for these pictures Sharon! Love them!

[steeleye]

Glad you guys had a good time. I hope they keep this tour going as I would love to see them again. (Hint, hint Quint.)

[sharon_loves_fats]

Yep, me too, I'd see this again in a heartbeat.

[Frosty]

Tuesday night's show was fantastic. I'll get my one peck at the show out of the way early. The show was not a representation of music from around the world, but an Afrocentric one representative of the African diaspora. The majority of artists were African with backing musicians from LA and NY. The two non African musicians with significant contributions were the two most famous, both of African heritage, Grandpa Elliot and Clarence Bekker. Also, there was only one woman in the group. This imbalance certainly made the absence of Tula stand out as she would have provided more balance in both gender and geography. Notably missing was Latin, European, Asian (both Far East and Indian), Aboriginal, and Native American representation. So, narrowing the worldview down to an Afrocentric view, this show was fantastic. Clarence Bekker is as fine a R&B singer as exists in the world today. I can only imagine this is what it was like to witness Otis Redding perform. Throw in Grandpa Elliot's incredible voice and "A Change is Gonna Come" soared. These two singers provided the "fire (Bekker)and ice (Elliot)" for the evenings show and provided insight into what a pairing between Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye would have sounded like. While Elliot was his cool, soulfull self, Bekker truly stood out with his energy and passion. Who knew a song by the Four Non Blondes could become an R&B tour de force? After a mix of high energy show stoppers, soulfull ballads, bouncing reggae, and African beats, the climaz was Grandpa Elliot's performance of Amazing Grace (as mentioned in a prior review). Hearing the way people in the audience respond to that song was chilling. I thought some people were going to burst out crying from the pure emotion of the moment, or even faint. He truly had the audience in his hand. Overall, the energy level of the crowd was great as was the band's. I can only hope for future tours and hopefully a little more representation of other corners of the world, ala Funkadaisi.

[sharon_loves_fats]

Nice review, Frosty. Glad you enjoyed the show! And very glad to hear that the audiences for this continue to be incredibly appreciative.

[swag]

Have these shows been selling out? I'm hoping for a financial success, so they extend this tour or plan another next year.

[Frosty]

Have these shows been selling out? I'm hoping for a financial success, so they extend this tour or plan another next year.

The show in Chicago was not sold out but was pretty full. Since the venue is not an auditorium, it is hard to say what capacity is, but there were still tickets available.

[Canine Horror]

Tuesday night's show was fantastic. I'll get my one peck at the show out of the way early. The show was not a representation of music from around the world, but an Afrocentric one representative of the African diaspora. The majority of artists were African with backing musicians from LA and NY. The two non African musicians with significant contributions were the two most famous, both of African heritage, Grandpa Elliot and Clarence Bekker. Also, there was only one woman in the group. This imbalance certainly made the absence of Tula stand out as she would have provided more balance in both gender and geography. Notably missing was Latin, European, Asian (both Far East and Indian), Aboriginal, and Native American representation. So, narrowing the worldview down to an Afrocentric view, this show was fantastic. Clarence Bekker is as fine a R&B singer as exists in the world today. I can only imagine this is what it was like to witness Otis Redding perform. Throw in Grandpa Elliot's incredible voice and "A Change is Gonna Come" soared. These two singers provided the "fire (Bekker)and ice (Elliot)" for the evenings show and provided insight into what a pairing between Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye would have sounded like. While Elliot was his cool, soulfull self, Bekker truly stood out with his energy and passion. Who knew a song by the Four Non Blondes could become an R&B tour de force? After a mix of high energy show stoppers, soulfull ballads, bouncing reggae, and African beats, the climaz was Grandpa Elliot's performance of Amazing Grace (as mentioned in a prior review). Hearing the way people in the audience respond to that song was chilling. I thought some people were going to burst out crying from the pure emotion of the moment, or even faint. He truly had the audience in his hand. Overall, the energy level of the crowd was great as was the band's. I can only hope for future tours and hopefully a little more representation of other corners of the world, ala Funkadaisi.

Sounds like a great gig ! Your review gave me the impetus to book for their London show next month. Front row seats !

[Frosty]

Sounds like a great gig ! Your review gave me the impetus to book for their London show next month. Front row seats !


That's what I like to hear!

[sharon_loves_fats]

Have these shows been selling out? I'm hoping for a financial success, so they extend this tour or plan another next year.

I'm really hoping for another tour too.

The show in Cleveland was moved from an auditorium to a club due to low ticket sales. The club was packed, but obviously they expected a better turnout originally.

[steeleye]

My guess was that the Keswick Theater just outside of Philly sold about 800 of 1300 seats. I was a bit surprised that there weren't more people in attendance.

[steeleye]

For the uninitiated:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgWFxFg7-GU&feature=PlayList&p=597EF619E3DF951C&index=4

[Fred (Texas JF Fanatic)]

For the unforgivin..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgWFxFg7-GU&feature=PlayList&p=597EF619E3DF951C&index=4

Kewl Video!
Hey Murray, I'm sure glad our paths crossed during Voodoo!

[steeleye]

Kewl Video!
Hey Murray, I'm sure glad our paths crossed during Voodoo!

Hey, Fred, me too. We have the same taste.

[PaulC]

and the tour comes to a close this very evenin'....

hope this thread helped some of ya' catch the love and vibe fest....

100% chance of rain, 48 degrees in vancover...


i'd gladly take that to feel the heat of the closing nite/note...

[Canine Horror]

and the tour comes to a close this very evenin'....

hope this thread helped some of ya' catch the love and vibe fest....

100% chance of rain, 48% in vancover...


i'd gladly take that to feel the heat of the closing nite/note...

...Well they were supposed to be playing London next month, but i now see that the gig has been postponed with no reason given...:(

[Irishnms]

and the tour comes to a close this very evenin'....

hope this thread helped some of ya' catch the love and vibe fest....

100% chance of rain, 48% in vancover...


i'd gladly take that to feel the heat of the closing nite/note...

I'm with ya on that note Paul C!

[sharon_loves_fats]

...Well they were supposed to be playing London next month, but i now see that the gig has been postponed with no reason given...:(

Sorry to hear that, Marc. I sure hope it works out for you to see this wonderful show.

[PaulC]

I'm with ya on that note Paul C!

a note or two from a few days ago:

"We hit the road after an amazing show in Portland last night, and rolled into Seattle at 4AM this morning. After a few hours rest in our hotel we all loaded into one of the tour buses and headed to Starbucks Headquarters for a short three-song set. The Playing For Change Band is featured (along with U2, Dave Matthews Band and John Legend) on a special (RED) release being distributed through Starbucks this holiday season. It's a gift to their customers who spend $15, and for each CD distributed they are donating $1 to the Global Fund fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa.

As soon as we got back to the hotel we grabbed gear and walked a few blocks to the Moore Theatre for tonight's concert. The 100-year-old venue is absolutely beautiful, and we can't wait to put on another amazing show for the Playing For Change Family here in Seattle. Following tonight's gig we're heading to Vancouver for our last performance in North America-- at least for this tour!"