When Ronald Isley emerged on stage the day after Valentine’s Day in head-to-toe red and his signature “Mr. Biggs” cane, it was clear that the audience would be in for a treat.
The Isley Brothers 60th Anniversary Tour that began last spring and is stretching into 2020, made its way to Lindenwood University’s J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts Saturday night. Ronald and Ernie Isley have been residents of the St. Louis region for more than two decades, but the magnitude of the musical experience they served up on stage was not lost or taken for granted by anyone in attendance – including the Isleys.
“We have about 350 songs to do tonight,” Ronald said, only half-joking. Their influence on music has stretched as wide as their career has been long. Saturday night fans were given a musical experience that didn’t feel labored – or provide any indication that the best days of the band are long behind them.
For just under two hours, the Isley Brothers gave their fans a filling, and fitting celebration of their music that also served as an example of their staying power.
Ronald’s signature falsetto isn’t as pristine as it once was, but he still has the vocal charisma and tone to keep the endearment of those who fell in love with his signature voice. And Ernie’s guitar riffs and tricks were just as awe inspiring on stage as they are in recorded form – perhaps even more so.
The show began with “Fight The Power” and included just about all their greatest hits. And even with the robust roster of songs, they paid tribute to several other music legends while simultaneously celebrating their own 60-year success story.
At transition points between their heavy hitting set list that included “It’s Your Thing,” “Twist and Shout,” “Smooth Sailin’ Tonight,” “Groove With You” to name a few, were tributes to Luther Vandross, Frankie Beverly, Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke and James Brown, that came by way of snippets throughout the night.
After performing their classic “This Old Heart Of Mine,” Ronald segued into a medley of the Sam Cooke hits “What A Wonderful World,” “You Send Me” and “Another Saturday Night.”
Ronald also gave a nod to Lionel Richie with an intro of “Hello” before jumping into the Isley Brothers classic ballad “Hello It’s Me.”
Ronald gave former wife and St. Louis native Angela Winbush a shoutout for writing the Isley Brothers hit “Spend The Night.” The Isley Brothers also gave themselves a nod as hip-hop influencers.
“I love it when you call me Big Poppa,” Ronald said with all the swag of Notorious B.I.G. and then some, before he jumped into singing “Between The Sheets.” B.I.G.’s hip-hop classic was heavily sampled the Isley Brothers slow jam.
And after singing “Footsteps In The Dark,” a rapper emerged on stage to rhyme the first verse of Ice Cube’s “Today Was a Good Day,” another hip-hop classic that also relied on the Isley Brothers’ ability to create a vibe few could match with their signature grooves.
Of all the tributes, the time he dedicated to his dear friend Aretha Franklin was most compelling. Ronald told the crowd that she was one of his closest friends – and that they spoke three times a week up until her health went into crisis mode in 2018.
He reflected on one of her appearances at The White House and jumped right into
“I Never Loved A Man.”
“I better leave that thing alone,” Ronald said when the song reached the point where Franklin flexed her incomparable upper register of her vocal range.
“She grew up in the church just like us – when we were knee high to a grasshopper.”
He then jumped into “Yes, Jesus Loves Me,” a song he says he sings and dedicates to Franklin, and his wife Kandi Isley’s dear friend Whitney Houston every night.
Kandi, who sang background vocals for the evening along with her sister Kim Johnson, picked up where Ronald left off and gave the audience a full praise break moment that included a word for the believers in the building.
“You don’t have to be perfect for him to love you – and you don’t have to be perfect to love him,” Kandi said.
After the spiritual moment, the evening pivoted back to the Isley Brothers party.
After “Summer Breeze,” “Let Me Know” and “Atlantis,” they closed things out with a dancing inducing “Shout.”
