Kool & the Gang w/ En Vogue
Washington State Fair, Puyallup, WA
09.25.15
My first impression watching Kool & the Gang on stage at the Washington State Fair was that there’s no way these are the original members. They seem so young. And sure, some of them aren’t – closing in on fifty years and it’s to be expected that members have left or changed, especially with a band that big – but guess what. “Kool” is still raging on, and the gang are right there with him. The band’s energy is fierce on a live stage, and they showed off exactly what the huge crowd came for, living out the long lasting sentiment that music is the message.
Kicking off their show with their 1985 hit “Fresh” the band kept it exactly that, in all senses of the word. This was a show for the ladies, for sure. And they played it to them, at one point saying “I can hear the ladies in the crowd but I can’t see them” and then turning up the house lights and baiting everyone into “Joanna.” Most impressive, besides their epically funky R&B standards like “Cherish,” “Get Down On It,” and “Celebration” was the fact that they were boogieing on stage like it was literally 1964.
Nineties mainstay of ladies-first R&B, En Vogue opened the show. The now-threesome came out looking all vamped and sultry, owning the stage with their still strong voices and smooth harmonies. While they seem to have fallen off of the millennial radar, there’s no denying the power of hits like “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” which they followed with “Whatta Man” – their 1993 collaboration with Salt-N-Pepa – during which they impressively performed all of the parts. But they saved their massive hit “Don’t Let Go (Love)” from the Set It Off soundtrack for the end, leaving on a high note of nostalgia and staying power.
While they don’t show up on a regular basis, keep an eye out for Kool & The Gang’s live show near you here.
Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Sunny Martini
Kool & the Gang
En Vogue
