Angelenos packed the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday night to be graced by the company of Common and Queen Latifah, each packing their sets with hip-hop oldies and new favorites. It was night three out of four of their Jazz at the Bowl series.
Common outlined his songs with an autobiographical narrative. The screen first read “The Chicago Boy,” and then, “And the story goes…” Childhood pictures flashed by as Common walked to the piano for an introductory bit, eventually leaving the keys to be front and center: “Yes, yes y’all and you don’t stop!”
After “I Used to Love H.E.R.,” Common reminisced, “I remember my mom calling me to come home… I could see the stars.” By stars, he meant people like Michael Jackson — and that he wanted to be noticed by De La Soul, leading him to find his dream in hip-hop. This lead into “Take it EZ.”
Common was precise in keeping a chronological timeline, making sure to explain his foundations and inspirations first (“Retrospect for Life” and “Time Travelin’”) before getting to the call-to-action tracks (“The People” and “Black America Again”). Common indeed hit on heavy topics, calling out police brutality, immigration issues and mass incarceration. However, he managed to come full circle in order to finish off on a positive note. His set, after all, concluded with “Glory,” the theme song for the 2014 film Selma, which could just as easily could be an anthemic sentiment today. What’s more, Common was always grooving around the stage with hip-hop swagger, calling on the audience to wave their arms along. In the lead up to an extended freestyle, Common called up a woman on stage to dance with and be serenaded. He even kissed her on the forehead and used her name in the freestyle, which also touched on Los Angeles, the Hollywood Bowl, summer and immigration, among other themes.
Later, Queen Latifah paraded onto the stage, the music already in full swing, singing, “I’m gonna live until I die,” dragging out the notes for a big ol’ entrance. In an all-black ensemble, wide-brimmed hat and Magnus frames, she kept up the theatricality by following with Chicago’s “When You’re Good to Mama.” It was then time to shift the mood, though. She said, “We’re gonna bring it back to the hip-hop for a second y’all,” discarded her hat and went into “Latifah’s Had It Up 2 Here.”
Latifah paused for a moment after “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.” She asked the crew to kill the lights in order to see the moon, which they also zoomed in on so it could be seen on screen. In admiring its size, she rationalized how it makes one feel humble, which allowed her to then play into “People,” a song that understand humans as flawed beings. After, Latifah continued in her reflection. “Let me take this out of my ear so I can hear you… y’all feeling good today?” she asked, to a sea of cheers. She thanked the audience for their years of support, then making her way to a few lines from the Living Single theme song, which flowed into “Just Another Day…”.
The set relatively mellowed with covers of “Poetry Man” by Phoebe Snow and the Mama’s and Papa’s “California Dreamin’.” Latifah did not settle for too long and kicked things back up with “I Wanna Be Down,” “Ladies First” and “U.N.I.T.Y.” It was evident among the crowd’s dancing that this was the highlight in her set. She even brought out MC Lyte and Yo-Yo for the hyped song trio, capitalizing on the energy put out by their magnetic flow. The three exited, but the band stayed, indicating an eventual return.
The party wound down, allowing for the tender moment to come. Latifah walked back on and said, “I’m gonna sing y’all out the building.” She dedicated the final song, “I Know Where I’ve Been,” to the late Craig Zadan, acknowledging the producer as instrumental to her career. The song is from the musical Hairspray, which Latifah starred in and Zadan produced. When she exited, Latifah threw up double peace signs, walking off the stage beaming with tranquility.
Setlist
Common
- “I Used to Love H.E.R.”
- “Take it EZ”
- “Retrospect for Life”
- “Respiration”
- “Time Travelin’ (A Tribute to Fela)”
- “Nag Champa (Afrodisiac for the World)”
- “Punch Drunk Love”
- “The Light”
- “I Am Music”
- “Be (Intro)”
- “The Corner”
- “The People”
- “Black America Again”
- “Testify”
- “Go!”
- “The Food”
- “Glory”
Queen Latifah
- “I’m Gonna Live Till I Die”
- “When You’re Good to Mama”
- “Latifah’s Had It Up 2 Here”
- “Mercy Mercy Mercy”
- “People”
- “Living Single Theme Song/ Just Another Day…”
- “Poetry Man (Phoebe Snow cover)”
- “California Dreamin (The Mamas & the Papas cover)”
- “I Wanna Be Down (with MC Lyte and Yo-Yo)”
- “Ladies First”
- “U.N.I.T.Y.”
Encore
- I Know Where I’ve Been
Photo Credit: Richard Saethang
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