“Ladies and gentlemen, you know him as ‘The Screaming Eagle of Soul’, we know him as ‘The Black Swan’. Put your hands together and show him some love – Mr. Charles Bradley!” This is the introduction the 65-year-old soul virtuoso receives at the beginning of every set, and man, does he deserve it.
There couldn’t be a more fitting platform for the soulful veteran to stretch his wings and screech his bleeding ballads than the intimate stage of the Melbourne Zoo – part of the Zoo Twilight’s penultimate performance in its summer series.
As Bradley stepped on stage, an eruption of hollering cheers shook the zoo grounds. With such a reception, it’s bewildering to think that this man, after a lifetime of wretched struggle, only arrived on the international performing arena four years ago.
Bradley’s stage presence alone brought the audience to their knees, but as the funkster allowed his first scream of the evening to escape his lungs on ‘Love Bug Blues’, there wasn’t a single patron that remained seated.
Introducing himself and his backing band of ‘Extraordinaires’, Bradley formed a heart with his hands, warmly professing his love and gratitude for the opportunity to be back in Australia, before closing his eyes as he began to howl the gospel tear-jerker, ‘Crying In The Chapel’.
As Bradley continually winced “I’m crying in the chapel baby/you stole my love, darlin”, it was damn near impossible to shield your cheeks from tears.
With the sun having fully fallen from the sky, Bradley and his Extraordinaires decided it was time to turn up the heat, jumping into the smash-hit from his debut record No Time For Dreaming, ‘The World (Is Going Up In Flames)’.
Despite the warning content of the lyrics, Bradley utilised the upbeat jam to stir the audience into a dance frenzy. In true frontman form, the performer teased punters as he pirouetted around his mic stand, spreading his soulful wings and throwing a few pelvic thrusts into the atmosphere.
The singer kept the fire alight as he burst into the funky brass-charged ‘You Put The Flame On It’ before departing the stage, allowing his incredibly tight Extraordinaires to take the limelight. Pumping out a jazzy jam that kept the crowd moving and shaking, it didn’t take long for Bradley to re-emerge in a fresh costume, ready to keep on kickin’.
Spreading the word of love, the “Black Swan” questioned the audience with the politically penned ‘Confusion’. Throwing in additional lyrics, Bradley quipped “ “Confusion! Russia!” before pausing to ask, “Why can’t we all just get along?”
With the event drawing to its untimely close, the artist’s set balanced a healthy array of heart-stealing slow burners as well as bravado laden funk beats.
Holding the audience captive in his claws, “The Screaming Eagle of Soul” announced his second final track of the set, ‘Let Love Stand A Chance’.
“This one is my favourite! Oh baby oh baby!” he jibed, before adding, “You know when you get home from work, and your girl she says to you, ‘oh baby, it’s time to get in the sheets, you make me feel so gooood!’” The crowd burst into fits of giggling madness, screaming their love for the seasoned soulman.
For the final track of the evening, Bradley asked his defining question, ‘Why Is It So Hard?’ Howling like it was his last chance, the singer faced the sky as he cried “Whyyyy is it so hard to make it in America?” Joined by the chorusing crowd, the repeated question filled and spilled over the zoo walls and into the surrounding streets of Melbourne.
Tears in his eyes, the star commanded silence as he anecdotally spoke of nations in the world as coloured roses, that when formed together make a beautiful bouquet. “This is how the world should be. Melbourne, I love you with all my heart, I really do. Thank you.”
With a final bow and a message so true to his temperament, Bradley’s departing words did not leave a soul untouched.
The world is so rarely graced with talent as rare and raw as Charles Bradley. It was truly humbling to witness a man bare his life of heartache and pain. Defying age, he shone proudly at the upmost echelon of the contemporary soul society. We are so lucky that fate, however long it may have taken, blessed us with this man’s beauty.
Setlist
Love Bug Blues
Crying in the Chapel
The World (Is Going Up In Flames)
Lovin You, Baby
You Put The Flame On It
Instrumental Jam
Confusion
In You (I Found a Love)
Strictly Reserved For You
Let Love Stand A Chance
Encore:
Why Is It So Hard?
