It is not often you can catch a legend in close proximity in an amazing venue such as Yoshi’s San Francisco but when you have that opportunity you just have to go for it. Somehow my boyfriend got front row seats to experience such splendor and we both full embraced it. Luckily for us it was at a bargain price.
While I fully admit I wasn’t fluent in her complete catalog the show spoke to everyone: those who knew her from her solo work in the 80’s, to others who knew her collaborations with Prince, or those who are more familiar to her famous family this show had something for everyone (not to mention fabulous Yoshi’s desserts). Sheila looked amazing in a gold sparkly dress, leggings, and platforms. Her band which included a few of her family members were all brought together for this special run of shows as a favor to Yoshi’s simply because the act originally set to play cancelled. As a percussionist I loved being close to feeling her energy and only then really understood how difficult it must be to play percussion, sing, and lead the band all at the same time. The band was truly in sync with her and even though Sheila E mentioned they never really performed together before they sounded as tight as a band that have been playing together for ages. The set mixed from hits like “Glamorous Life” to a new hit single from the E family that recently hit number 1 on local radio station KBLX. The highlight for me was Sheila E and her brother who is the biological dad of Nicole Richie (thanks to Wikipedia for that fun fact) shared the stage. They started with a simple beat repeating each other to a varying degree on different percussive instruments. They moved on to the front row where they grabbed a tea kettle from an unsuspecting patron to drum on to finally tactful tapping a martini glass.
It was certainly a special night for bay area music too as the Yoshi (female) that started the two Yoshi’s Jazz Clubs in the bay area was in attendance. She spent the evening dancing in the aisles spinning as though she was fully embracing the music through her whole body. Shelia E and her family are a not to miss bay area music institution and seeing it at Yoshi’s is a match made in heaven.
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