Photo via @gurusattva on Instagram
Brooklyn Bowl is a mecca for collaborations. Whether it’s Warren Haynes popping up with Soulive or Dave Harrington joining Alex Bleeker & the Freaks, artists love popping up and delivering something special in that venue. Last night, Santigold joined afrobeat heavyweights Antibalas for a memorable collaboration.
Antibalas is amidst a four-night residency at Brooklyn Bowl. They’ve been playing each Wednesday, digging deep into their catalogue to make each show totally different. As if varying the setlist wasn’t enough, they’re also inviting awesome guests to join them to make each night extra special. Last night, the group played an array of their own tracks, including rarely-played gems like “Beaten Metal” off 2007’s Security.
When Santigold joined the stage, everyone freaked out. And rightfully so! Not only is she absolutely stunning, but she has a great presence on stage. With ~14 afrobeat-playing men around her, her beauty was magnified. Her airy dance moves would have been enough to earn the memory space of the 50-something phones that started to film her, but her voice took things to the next level. As she lead the band through the alt-reggae “Shove It,” the crowd screamed the beginning words with her: “Brooklyn, we go hard!” Santigold commented after the track to say that song never sounded so good. I’ll agree.
After “Shove It” was “Disparate Youth,” a great cut off her second album My Make-Believe. The cuts translated really well to Antibalas’ instrumentation, and everyone was grooving hard. Santigold’s presence was short-lived, however, as she exited the stage after just two songs. Antibalas resumed to crush it with their worldly rhythms, providing a soundtrack for a sold out crowd to dance into the late-night.