A Look Inside Black Pumas’ Special Performance at C-Boy’s Heart & Soul
By David Brendan Hall, November 3, 2023, 2:02pm, Earache!
Homegrown soul rockers Black Pumas returned to their roots Thursday night at C-Boys Heart & Soul, where the band first launched with a residency in 2018.
The special show celebrated the Oct. 27 release of sophomore album Chronicles of a Diamond. The roughly 100-capacity concert, offered exclusively to Austin residents via a ticket drawing and first-come, first-serve basis, was hosted and broadcast live by KUTX (check out the full performance video).
The Grammy-nominated group – composed of co-founders Eric Burton and Adrian Quesada, singers Spice and Lauren Cervantes, keyboardist JaRon Marshall, bassist Brendan Bond, and drummer Steve Bidwell – ran through a 13-song setlist. The intimate concert included seven of the 10 tracks from their new full-length and a handful of beloved songs from their self-titled, Grammy-nominated debut, including debut single “Black Moon Rising” and the gold-certified “Colors.” As pointed out by Quesada, “Oct 33” proved an apt selection given that this show fell on Nov. 2 – technically that imaginary date.
Burton intermittently paused for reflection, noting mid-set that the band’s career “all started out as a dream.” He recalled busking in Santa Monica, Calif., and at the corner of Sixth and Congress, until he linked up with Pumas co-writer and producer Quesada. “Then I learned how to dream again,” he said.
Before closing out on new song “Angel,” Quesada offered his own meditation on the band’s origins, as well as a tribute to venue owner Steve Wertheimer. “Eric and I started this in 2017,” Quesada said. “We didn’t have a plan. We didn’t even know we were going to be a band, but we emailed some music to Steve from C-Boy’s. He might’ve heard one or two songs and he was like, ‘whenever you guys wanna play.’”
Black Pumas Setlist on Nov. 3 at C-Boy’s:
- Gemini Sun
- More Than a Love Song
- Know You Better
- Black Moon Rising
- Chronicles of a Diamond
- Ice Cream (Pay Phone)
- Mrs. Postman
- Confines
- Fire
- Oct 33
- Colors
- Rock N Roll
- Angel
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