*Esteemed R&B virtuoso Raphael Saadiq is preparing to captivate audiences this spring with a groundbreaking series of one-man performances.
His mini-tour, titled “No Bandwidth: One Man, One Night, Three Decades of Hits,” promises to be a rich tapestry of Saadiq’s extensive career, pulling together the threads of his work with bands like Tony! Toni! Toné! and Lucy Pearl, as well as his solo endeavors and collaborations with luminary artists such as D’Angelo and Erykah Badu.
“I’ve always wanted to do a one-man show. It’s something I’ve dreamed of for years, having the stage to myself, telling my stories through music, and creating a space that feels magical and immersive, like a Broadway show. I see it as a personal challenge to dive into my history, my influences, and bring it all into a single, unifying performance for my fans,” is how Saadiq described his vision for these concerts.
Delving deeper into his artistic process, Saadiq has embraced the piano during the pandemic as a vehicle for creative expansion.
“I’ve spent quite a bit of time during the pandemic just really being a student and studying music, diving into sight reading, grappling with music theory, just focusing on the basics. And now, this is going to feed into my writing, giving me a wider arsenal to draw upon for my performances,” he shared.
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The man behind these extraordinary concerts, Raphael Saadiq, was born Charles Ray Wiggins on May 14, 1966, in Oakland, California. Raised in a large family of 14 siblings, Saadiq’s life has been a complex tapestry of achievements and tragedies, with personal losses that include several siblings succumbing to addiction, suicide, murder, and a car accident.
Such experiences significantly colored his work, most notably his 2019 album “Jimmy Lee,” named in honor of a brother he lost.
Saadiq’s early musical journey began with gospel music in the church. By the age of six, he was not only playing bass guitar but also started to sing. His musical ambitions led him to join The Gospel Humminbirds by twelve, and at eighteen, he embarked on a monumental chapter by joining Sheila E.’s band for Prince’s 1986 Parade Tour.
“Being a part of that tour was like attending the most intense university you could ever imagine, learning about music and performance at such a high level,” he fondly recalls.
Recently, Saadiq completed a successful tour with a reunited Tony! Toni! Toné!, yet has confirmed this is the last of such reunions.
“We just got overzealous a little bit,” he reflected in an intimate interview with Rolling Stone. “The tour itself was incredible. We had an absolutely beautiful time reconnecting with the fans and each other. But when it comes to new music, we’re just in different places creatively. I’m probably the only one really itching to work on new records, so we decided to put those plans aside.”
Saadiq’s solo tour is set to premiere at New York’s iconic Apollo Theater on May 31, followed by a performance at The United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles on June 6, and wrapping up at the Fox Theater in Oakland on June 7. With an evening planned to intermingle engaging storytelling and musical dynamism, Saadiq intends to craft an experience that highlights not only his original compositions but also transformative covers of songs he admires.
In “No Bandwidth,” fans can anticipate a night where the past and present of R&B converge through Saadiq’s incredible talent and passion, offering a uniquely intimate and magical exploration of his enduring musical legacy.
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