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Green! A pair of four-seaters dashed through the intersection of Flushing Avenue and 54th Street. Lines of trendy New Yorkers march down the sidewalk on opposite sides of the street before making a sharp left into a spacious parking lot that serves as the gateway to the Knockdown Center in Brooklyn, New York. The sounds of innovative R&B, Pop, Soul, Jazz, and Hip-Hop permeate greet the patrons as they present their tickets, lumber through a security check, and enter the 50,000 square foot brick-laden performance venue and art gallery. A large LED screen and a stage covered in instruments, speakers, and performers sit at the main room’s head. Vibrant lights in varying colors project onto the faces of the performers as a crowd of fans watch with bated breath. This is Tones of NYC, the inaugural iteration of COLORS’ live music series set to hit Europe and other cities in North America. Initially planned for October 11-12, 2024, with performances from eight artists, the concert was downsized to one night with four performers — Chlothegod, Bellah, Moses Sumney, and Mustafa. While smaller in scale, the night of art and community opened the door for COLORS to present itself as a significant player in the live music landscape. Here’s what we learned from COLORS’ first-ever Tones Of event in New York.
Bellah Bleeds R&B
Bellah uses a blend of neo-soul, Pop, and R&B soundscapes to paint a picture of what it’s like to be a young Black woman chasing love, happiness, and career success in London. Draped in a striking black-and-white coat from Black Stripes and hair done by Valoré, her style suits the distinctive style and angelic yet powerful voice that captures the attention of anyone within earshot. Still, her blend of music and style is fresh in the presence of New York listeners who are familiar with her music but have never seen her perform live before. As her set progresses, Bellah draws the audience in by inviting them closer to the stage for a sing-a-long. In between performances of her own tracks, she covers classic records from generational acts like SZA and Usher and asks the audience to sing a long if they know the words. Some may feel a little too cool to sing or are self-conscious about how they may sound, but most join in and turn Tones of NYC into an intimate R&B house party. By night’s end, Bellah leaves her music on the minds of every bobbing their heads to the beat in this large warehouse.
Mustafa Meets The Moment
Mustafa is a poet. Mustafa is a storyteller. Mustafa is a singer. Mustafa is a vessel for change and inspiration. At just 28 years old, Mustafa could spend time on stage bragging about how he’s worked with 21 Savage, Metro Boomin’, and countless others, but he doesn’t. In fact, most of his live performance at TONES of NYC isn’t about him. It’s about the world around him and how he perceives it. Oscillating between songs from his most recent project, Dunya, to his breakout album, When Smoke Rises, the Toronto native breaks in between performances to talk about the grief, international conflict, and his relationship with his hometown of Toronto. Maybe, it’s the more than 40,000 Palestinians who have been killed since last October. Perhaps it’s the rising gun violence consuming the lives of young Black and Brown people in Toronto and across the world. It could be a number of things, but it feels like there’s a lot on his mind tonight. Still, he smiles through it, engaging with the crowd and thanking them for showing up. He even nods to his fellow Canadian artist, Daniel Caesar, who sits in the photo pit enjoying the set until a security guard asks him to move. Mustafa is a light in a dimly lit venue on a Friday night in New York City, and he refuses to fade into the darkness without saying everything he needs to say.
COLORS Contorts Itself Into A Crowded Live Performance Space
It’s not Rolling Loud or The Roots Picnic, but it’s not trying to be (at least not right now). It’s four to five hours with like-minded fans of music and art jammed into a spacious warehouse with high ceilings and brick walls, enjoying performances from talented artists who don’t come outside often. Between sets, collections of New Yorkers break off into side conversations over cocktails and beers about the next performer, their favorite COLORS performances, and what they plan to do after the show ends. It’s not absurdly loud in the venue, but it’s far from quiet. It’s comfortable. It’s affordably priced. At least for now. It’s the kind of event you’re looking forward to if you’re in your late 20s or early 30s, but you don’t want to have to deal with some of the pitfalls that plague most concerts — loud, obnoxious teenagers, ridiculously priced merchandise or sets that start 90 minutes late. Now, it must travel the world, host shows in Paris and continue to carve out its lane in a crowded live music space that offers everything from large scale festivals like Lollapalooza to intimate events like a Tiny Desk concert.
