“Mr. Nice Guy” & Friends at Tangent Gallery

Photo Courtesy of Ohene Photography

It was a cold and rainy evening on Wednesday, January 27^th but neither rain nor cold stopped the Tangent Gallery from filling up to capacity. Drinks were pouring, popcorn was popping and vendors were showcasing hot items such as jewelry, hats and tasty treats (Shout out to Fancy Schmancy Cupcakes for the Eric Roberson-themed cupcakes)! Urban Organic & Rain Man Entertainment teamed up to present not only a concert but an interactive experience that gave us a fusion of live music and creative arts. This marks my fourth Eric Roberson concert and each experience leaves me with an elevated appreciation for indie music’s hardest-working soul artist! Mr. Nice Guy is the title of Mr. Roberson’s latest album that dropped October of last year and it has been in heavy rotation on my iPod.

“Mr. Nice Guy yeah…last to be thought about. First one’s she’s turning down (Guess I’m the odd man out). Mr. Nice Guy tired of coming in last. Maybe I’ll be better off just chasing the ay, ay, ay!”

Yum Delish Treats provided delicious chocolate-covered berries to VIP ticket holders (click here for our first feature article on their services). DJ L Boog was holding it down with good music in between sets and Nick Austin was our host for the evening. The first act up was J. Tait- a local artist and back-up vocalist for Detroit’s own Dwele- who will soon be making his mark in the music world. He gave us a bit of old school soul and engaged the audience with his presence. Next to grace the stage was Charity, an acoustic princess whose music exudes love, energy, and self-respect. It was my first time hearing her perform the sensual “Indescribable” and that song most definitely took us “there”! Once J. Tait and Charity got the audience warmed up, L’Renee came out and took us to school as she opened with her original song, “Yes I Do”. Her jazzy and melodic riffs were giving me chills as she sang “Material Girl” and “Reflections” amongst other hits from her roster of albums.

It was finally time for the man of the evening, Mr. Eric Roberson, to grace us with his presence. The audience was amped and cheers exploded in the room when he came out, dapper as ever in a nice suit and his signature glasses. The band was playing “The Newness” and Eric sang every note with a swagger that had the audience in the palm of his hand. There wasn’t a dull moment during his set-people were swaying back & forth, waving arms, snapping fingers and up dancing- under the Erro spell! And wasn’t hard to get caught up since he performed signature classics such as “Pretty Girl”, “Softest Lips”, a radio-favorite “Borrow You” and off of the latest album “Fall” and “Picture Perfect”. Then there are always the medleys where he fuses his music with old school jams and matches with the classic dance moves. And I think I would be pretty accurate to say that veterans of his show always look forward to the segment of his show where he freestyles a song from words yelled out by the audience. Eric never misses a beat and knows how to keep the audience engaged!

To cap the night off with a happy ending to another sad departure (we always hate to see him leave) Erro and his fantastical (yes fantastical) band gave us a funky house mix that had everyone on their feet jumping around like we were at a rave in a remote warehouse in the country! While jumping around onstage to his special “Change for Me” house mix, Eric Roberson departed and everyone stood to their feet cheering and dancing as the band played their last notes.

Every Eric Roberson experience is an awesome one, especially here in Detroit. We look forward to him coming back again, as well as hearing much more from J. Tait, Charity and L’Renee!