Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Commodores Show Out At Newport Beach Jazz Festival (Photos)

Newport Beach Jazz Festival 2018 Main Stage

Music came ashore at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach Jazz Festival in Newport Beach California as hundreds packed the sunny oceanside lawn of the and the sun shined bright and warm.

Those who brought jackets to this years event left them unworn as temperatures rested in the mid-80s with a light coastal breeze.  Due to the city ordinances, the event kept a tight schedule which ended at 8 pm each night.

Johnathan Butler performs at the 2018 Newport Beach Jazz Festival. Photo by Troy Tieuel

Opening the three-day festival was Michael Lington with Kenny Lattimore on Friday.  Saturday brought out the blankets and picnic baskets as the Baylor Project brightened up the stage with a melodic “Hallelujah,” followed by Damien Escobar, Jonathan Butler, the L.A. Collective and The Commodores.  Sunday found festival attendees enjoying the offshore breeze along with Josh Vietti, Elan Trotman, Will Downing and Brian Culbertson.

The Commodores perform ‘Brick-house’ during the 2018 Newport Beach Jazz Festival.

The Commodores were the surprise highlight of the festival.  Despite them being up in age and short their most famous member (most music lovers would be hard press to recall their names), the Commodores powered through any preconceived notions of negativity with boundless energy and positive spirit!  

Although the Commodores where the draw for most, they far outshined what I was expecting.  It is apparent that each member of the group had considerable talent, a requirement for artists of their generation, and that talent has not waned in their aging, they had something that a lot of artists and especially singing groups don’t have, hits.

Combining those his with an excess of energy, the trio, backed up by random band members who also possessed the same vitality, approached their performance like men that have something to prove.  Frankly, they do. After all, what are the Commodores without Lionel Richie?

If you ask the Commodores that question, they would probably jump up ready to fight, and that testosterone filled reaction is the same energy they presented on stage.  It doesn’t matter what happened, they push through. It doesn’t matter how old they are, they will finish all their songs. It didn’t matter who was missing, they are singing every lyric.  

The Commodores at the 2018 Newport Beach Jazz Festival

At one point during their show, Walter Orange jumped from playing the digital drums to belting out an awful, out of tune rift, that even caused the other members of the Commodores to squish their faces during the extra long broadcasting of sound.  But Orange would not be denied his moment on stage and ended the rift in such a charismatic and confident way that it swayed the crowd to react with laughter that turned to cheers as they transitioned to the next song and a sweaty Orange continued to sing the first verse of that new song.  All those hits really helped.

The crowd gathered in Newport came to hear their hits and the Commodores played every single one of them and the crowd sang along. After their hour and a half set, most artists of their generation would have to be rolled off the stage in a wheelchair going straight to the hospital.  But not the Commodores, they have sung with energy until the last song and had to be nearly dragged off stage as if they had five or six more songs to sing. The crowd gathered, stood and cheered their goodbyes as the band walked off stage and the stagehands began to dismantle the gear.

Damian Escobar plays to a captive crowd at the 2018 Newport Beach Jazz Festival. Photo by Troy Tieuel

Other highlights of the festivities included ladies favorite, Damien Escobar, who went into a trance like the pied piper of the Jazz festival creating his melodies with just him, a white tee and his violin.  Elan Trotman, Brian Culbertson, and the Baylor Project all gave excellent performances.

The Baylor Project performed at the Newport Beach Jazz Festival. Photo by Troy Tieuel

For more information on the Newport Jazz Festival,  go to https://festivals.hyattconcerts.com/.  

2018 Newport Beach Jazz Festival. Photo By Troy Tieuel

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