Raphael Saadiq started at the beginning.
The very beginning.
The Bay Area R&B star kicked off his one-man show on Monday night (Sept. 8) at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco by remembering how his father had once told him that he was a mistake — “but a good mistake.”
He’d later learn that his parents originally planned to terminate the unplanned pregnancy — and his father even sent his mother off to an abortion clinic with $300 to do just that. Yet, while waiting at the clinic, his mother decided to go use the money to buy groceries at Safeway instead.
Thus, Charles Ray Wiggins (later to be known as Raphael Saadiq) was born in Oakland on May 14, 1966.
And the world is certainly a better place for it.
The 59-year-old singer/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter/producer, who first came to fame as one-third of R&B band Tony! Toni! Toné! in the late ’80s, would use his two hours of stage time at Davies to remind fans of all the ways he’s helped enrich their lives over the decades.
Those expecting a regular “greatest hits” retrospective concert certainly didn’t get it. Instead, they received a guided journey, via dialogue and song, through the years, highlighting the key moments in Saadiq’s life that have combined to bring him where he is today.
Think “Springsteen on Broadway,” only with way funkier basslines.
It was a special night for longtime fans, with Saadiq taking attendees behind the music, relaying plenty of fun stories and showcasing a tremendous amount of personality. He sang, rocked us with the bass and utilized a couple of different guitars.
Saadiq also spent a goodly portion of the evening on piano — an instrument that he started learning as a child, then gave up on despite his piano teacher’s warnings that he’d regret the move, before returning to it (and lessons) a few years back during the pandemic. (Note to kids of all ages: Don’t give up those piano lessons.)
The vibe was intimate, like this was all going down in Saadiq’s personal pad as opposed to a world-class symphony hall. One of the things that added to that feeling was the awesome requirement that everyone lock up their phones in Yondr pouches upon arrival at the venue, so that fans couldn’t annoy the artist by shooting video with their flashes on, texting friends, etc.
Oh, but they could still annoy the artist in other ways.
“You poppin’ that gum like that,” said Saadiq, stopping the show to single out the woman near the front of the stage who was indeed “poppin’ that gum like that.” “You’re rude. But cute, though.”
Saadiq talked a lot about his childhood years, remembering watching games from the three-time world champion Oakland A’s of the early ’70s — arguably the greatest Bay Area sports dynasty of all time — and how much his mom adored seeing Reggie Jackson play. He mentioned going to the Boys and Girls Club of East Oakland and how you could find him “at Blondie’s in Berkeley.” And he brought up the legendary band that first inspired him to become a musician.
“Earth, Wind & Fire — that’s who I wanted to be. That’s a high bar,” said Saadiq, before adding: “I think the bar is kinda low these days.”
He took us back to his seventh grade talent competition, picking up the bass — just like he did at the time — to rock through a mix of The Marathons’ “Peanut Butter,” Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” and Chic’s “Good Times.” He’d win that competition, a triumph that Saadiq says still remains unrivaled in his musical career.
Not long after that, Saadiq joined The Gospel Hummingbirds.
“That is where I learned all the necessary things for you to like me,” Saadiq said of that Oakland gospel troupe known for its glorious harmony vocals.
He’d keep progressing in his career, eventually landing a gig playing bass for Sheila E. during a tour with Prince. Yet, he’d have to go through a tough interview process, which included dealing with Sheila’s sister Zina, who Saadiq described as initially being none-too friendly (although he’d later end up dating her for years).
“She was very rude — almost like that girl poppin’ gum over there,” Saadiq joked, resulting in big guffaws from the crowd.
The run with Sheila E. and Prince eventually came to an end — with the termination letter reportedly coming in the form of a McDonald’s job application, Saadiq recalled. Yet, by this point, the bassist had learned so much from Prince and Sheila E. that he was fine with leaving the purple fold.
“Now I had the blueprint,” he said. “It was time to start my own band.”
That band was, of course, Tony! Toni! Toné! — the multiplatinum-selling R&B outfit that he started with brother D’Wayne Wiggins and cousin Timothy Christian Riley.
The portion of the show that addressed the Tonies was one of the most fascinating of the night, not only musically — as it included memorable versions of the hits “It Never Rains (In Southern California)” and “Anniversary” — but also in the way Saadiq allowed himself to be so vulnerable as he showed both confusion and sadness in the way the band eventually imploded.
Saadiq then went on to discuss all the remarkable success he’s achieved outside of the Tonies, which has included a number of well-received solo albums as well as work for film and for other artists. The short list of the latter would include such names as Beyonce, Stevie Wonder, John Legend and, in a really nice twist of fate, early-influencers Earth, Wind & Fire.
“I’m truly blessed,” Saadiq commented near the end of the show.
The emotional zenith of the evening came when Saadiq paid tribute to brother D’Wayne Wiggins, who died earlier this year after a lengthy battle with cancer. He’d perform “Whatever You Want,” the Tony! Toni! Toné! favorite that Wiggins wrote and sang on the group’s sophomore effort, 1990’s “The Revival.”
By the time Saadiq wrapped up the show, it felt like we all knew him a bit better — knew the things (both good and bad) that have molded him through the decades; his highs and lows; his sense of humor as well as his sense of loss; his love for his hometown of Oakland.
And, perhaps above all else, we knew about this Bay Area music treasure’s unquenchable thirst to keep exploring new artistic ground.