The Rumpus Room in Chelsea knocked it out of the park with a fantastic show with local blues great Laith Al-Saadi and jubilant soul music from Nicholas David.
Rumpus Room – Summer Concerts
We have really enjoyed the Rumpus Room’s summer concert series. The Devon Allman show last month was killer and to start off August, the Rumpus Room crew brought in a couple of aces who just happened to blow the roof off of NBC’s music talent show, The Voice.
The concert series at the Rumpus rooms benefits the 418 Project, which supports charity work in Haiti. On top of great music, Jets was serving up pizza and superb Michigan beer from Right Brain Brewing. I’m not sure what else we could have asked for on this beautiful evening.
Laith Al-Saadi
Ann Arbor’s own, Laith Al-Saadi started the night off in fine style with a set of solo acoustic blues. While the world may have just discovered Laith, local Michiganders are well aware of his ginormous talents. A few folks shouted “We love you Laith” as he took the stage. With a humble smile, Laith said “I love you too!”
His set included a dynamic selection of original music, including the soulful blues of “Gone”, the gritty “Complete Disgrace”, and a deep cut from his 2006 Long Time Coming album called “Everything”. This last song was a real treat as Laith doesn’t do a whole lot from this album which is a shame as it’s one of my favorites.
On top of his wonderful originals, Laith dove into a diverse and impressive set of covers, including Hank Williams “You Win Again” and The Band’s “Ophelia” which he recorded on his album Real. As an encore, Laith came back with a couple more songs climaxing with “Can’t Find My Way Home” by Blind Faith. This is one of my all time favorite songs and Laith’s beautiful rendition had me choked up. Drop by the gallery for more pictures of Laith.
Nicholas David
With the stage set for more magnificent music, Nicholas David and his band got the audience out of their seats and dancing with a jumping cover of Barry White’s “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything”. Hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota, Nicholas and his band were in top form playing with earnest love.
It was clear that these brilliant musicians were having a great time spreading joy with their music. Nicholas’s vocals were charmingly warm and saturated with passionate soul.
We couldn’t help but start to dance when the band played “Play That Funky Music White Boy” by Wild Cherry. Evidently, we were not alone as many others were dancing, smiling, and having a ball. Nicholas peppered the set with his splendid original music, including the lovely and deeply touching “Fresh” and the quirky vaudevillian number entitled “Villain”. Each song exhibited Nicholas’s depth of songwriting and the cohesion of the band. Check out the gallery for more pictures of Nicholas David.
The Rumpus Room summer concert series once again brings great local and national music to the stage in Chelsea, Michigan. Nicholas David and Laith Al-Saadi are true masters of music. Each of them exudes the spirit of music and its power to uplift and bring us together.
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