Living Colour wsg Equal Parts
The Pyramid Scheme, Grand Rapids
Nov. 8, 8 p.m.
$27 advance, $30 day of show
18+
pyramidschemebar.com, (616) 272-3758
If you're not familiar with the 1988 album Vivid by Living Colour, you're either a hermit living in the wilds of Appalachia, or simply too young to remember.
Vivid not only hit No. 6 on the Billboard 200 that year, it also went double platinum. The wildly successful song "Cult of Personality" from that record won a Grammy and two MTV Video Music Awards, made Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos and VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs lists and continues to make appearances today in everything from movies to video games.
Living Colour firmly cemented itself as one of the most recognizable metal bands of that era, doing so with a lineup of all-black members. And during '80s, that's saying something.
"That was the moment in time that needed to happen," said Doug Wimbish, bassist for the group. "That record marks a point in history: a black band being able to crack the white metal industry. [...] Vivid helped set a statement for that time."
To celebrate that success, as well as the 25-year birthday of that iconic album, Living Colour launched its Vivid 25th Anniversary Tour.
"We're in celebration mode," Wimbish said. "The band can get just as much fun out of those songs as the fans do. To be able to play a record in its entirety from top to bottom, we get to celebrate all the hard work we've done with our fans."
And according to Wimbish, the guys are just as excited to perform this moment in music history as the people are to hear it.
"I think that we've been able to take things to a fantastic level as players, and it comes out live in front of the audience," he said. "It's not like going to a Broadway play. We actually can play."
But Living Colour isn't just riding the success of a 25-year-old album. Since its reunion in 2000, the band put out two new records and is currently working on a third. And don't be surprised if you hear some of their new material.
"When we come to Michigan, you'll hear some new songs," Wimbish said. "We're going to do some testing on some of the new stuff at some of these markets."
