The 2016 Canalside season kicked off in extraordinary style on Thursday, June 9th. One of the more interesting shows at the venue over the past couple years went down as Charles Bradley & the Extraordinaires provided a soulful experience for the enthusiastic crowd. Bradley’s set started with a sharply dressed backing band laying down a midtempo soul-funk foundation while the frontman was introduced by the bandleader and sashayed on stage. The set was littered with autobiographical tales hitting on heavy subjects: the songs played on Thursday hit on heartache, social injustice, and his lengthy, humanizing struggle to make for himself the blessed life he now leads. Bradley knows how to work an audience into a frenzy using all of the natural tools at his disposal: his serpentine arms and legs, his always-in-motion ass, and, oh yeah, a voice that could stop a bulldozer in its tracks. Let’s hope this is the beginning of a Canalside concert season to to remember.DSCF7177DSCF7033DSCF7105DSCF7027DSCF7179DSCF7087DSCF7081

Written by Mike Sansano

Photos by Mike Sansano