Meeting Vernon Reid of LIVING COLOUR

This past weekend I had the honor of meeting, hang out with Vernon Reid and witness the best show I ever saw in my life with LIVING COLOUR at the Double Door in Chicago. Also introduced him to my Gabriel V33 1×12″ Combo he absolutely LOVED! He is a master of high gain amps but very interested in alternatives for guitar tones and found the V33 a versatile guitar amp.

John Stamos, Vernon Reid and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (photo's courtesy of Earl Douglas)

A Musical Genius

Vernon is the LIVING COLOUR founder, bandleader, co-founder of the Black Rock Coalition, and an incredible guitarist and songwriter, that had greatly influenced the National and International rock scene. Just recently he was awarded NYC’s 2009 Mayor’s Awards for Arts & Culture presented by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. He is working on multiple projects which he details in his interview with Fret 12.

Very Approachable

I was surprised to see how approachable Vernon is! He doesn’t have an aura of an artist yet he is a musical genius. Being in the guitar amp business I get to meet a lot of artists and it’s just interesting to see how some have a don’t-touch-me-I’m-a-rock-star attitude (even if they honestly suck in their creativity), and some like Vernon even if they are influencing whole a world with their musical artistry, are humble, simple and just like any others from the crowd.

It is something to ponder.

The Chair In The Doorway

I always heard that LIVING COLOUR show is a must-seen one, but I got to experience it on my goose-bumped skin. I was speechless, and still am.

They are touring with their newly released 5th album The Chair In The Doorway, but also had a ton of older songs from their previous albums. Each band member is an outstanding musician by themselves, but also when they come together as a band they simply bring down the house.

Considering Will Calhoun‘s mind-blowing drum solo (10 min or so), an incredible virtuoso bass performance from Doug Wimbish, the stunning vocal abilities of Corey Glover and last but not least the innovative master of all guitars and sound morphing, Mr. Vernon Reid, the LIVING COLOUR show delivered something really hard to equal these days.

The show cannot be described – IT MUST BE SEEN!