Last night we went to the Shark Tank to see Sade. John Legend opened with his great band. He played about an hour, kind of rushing through some of his material, but still gave an entertaining show. I had seen him in Las Vegas, 2009, when I was stuck there. That was a great concert at the Red Rock Casino.
Sade came on, after a fairly extensive stage change. I have to say, her band was tight, in sync, and sounded good. The same group has been with her for years. Her voice was better than I thought it would be. Still strong. I have a live DVD from about 10 years ago, and this time around she seems to be much more in tune with her audience, and very relaxed. The crowd was into it, and singing along with all her hits, and she does have a few. The stage had 4 to 5 rising platforms, that lifted the band members above, below, or level with the stage. It also had a gossamer stage curtain that was used to reflect video and images during and between songs, but used sparingly.
One of the problems at the Shark Tank, is the sound. It just is not a good acoustical environment. We have seen Paul McCartney, Jimmy Buffet, James Taylor, and Carol King there, and the sound always is lacking no matter where you sit.
At the Sade concert we were in Section 128, row 7, about level with the stage. A very good spot. If you can get tickets, and I am sure you can for Oakland, with 2 shows, go. It will be worth it.
I had a problem with my phone and it did not take the 2 videos I thought I had recorded of Sade. I need to do a practice run before a show next time.