Charlotte saxophonist brings social consciousness to his latest streaming concert
Long before the global pandemic made virtual concerts the norm, Charlotte-based saxophonist Adrian Crutchfield was researching how to bring his live concerts to the web in real-time without sacrificing production quality. The difference was, he expected to have a live audience in the room with him while doing it.
But quarantine put his idea for a streaming multi-camera production on the fast track, and in May, viewers from around the world tuned in for Crutchfield’s show from The Playroom in Charlotte.
While the production wasn’t without technical hiccups, he says, the experience allowed the crew to make necessary tweaks for a follow-up concert. That show, scheduled for Tuesday, will be performed live at The Cube (a new streaming studio in Charlotte) and will coincide with “Adrian Crutchfield Day,” a declaration made by the Mecklenburg County commissioners in 2018 that Crutchfield has since reserved for special hometown events.
The theme of the show, “Give Love,” taps into the current social climate as well as divisive issues related to COVID-19.
“We don’t always agree with each other, but ... these disagreements between people are getting to the point that they’re not just disagreements. They’re ending relationships. It’s dangerous,” Crutchfield says. “I stand fully behind the notion of what we’re fighting for equality and social tolerance. Black Lives Matter — I stand for that. But I want to make sure people understand it’s not exclusive. I want them to understand where the pride comes from. I wanted to make this concert about that.”
Crutchfield, who worked closely with Prince and led his 11-piece horn section before his death in 2016, looked to songs by Black artists who had made important political and social statements that continue to ring true today.
“I started to look back at some of my favorite songs, especially artists that drove social change,” he says, citing Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” as the show’s biggest inspiration, along with songs by War and Stevie Wonder.
“It’s talking about exactly what we’re still experiencing,” Crutchfield says of “What’s Going On’s” relevance. “It’s one of those things, no matter who you are or which side you are experiencing it from, you can relate. That’s where we can come together without feeling defensive or exclusive, where we can curb that aggression and bring people back to the table instead of arguing.”
Tuesday is only Crutchfield’s third public performance since returning from promoting his smooth-jazz single “Lover” and touring the West Coast and Alaska with the Portland Cello Project. He found performing for 45 minutes without an audience in May exhausting despite having backed headliners Prince, Lionel Richie and CeeLo Green.
“It takes more energy because you have nothing to feed on,” he explains. “When we get back out there, there are going to be times that I’m going to be standing on stage staring at the audience looking stupid, because I missed them so much.”
After the shock of watching his entire 2020 booking schedule disappear, Crutchfield says he and his colleagues immediately began to adapt.
“We started to figure out ways to still be active, and although we’re not quite ‘essential workers,’ I do think art is necessary for people’s sanity — just like being social,” he says. “Art, entertainment and music are medicinal. People are always going to find ways to do this.”
As for when that will be and how the pandemic will affect the industry long-term, Crutchfield is confident the music business will bounce back — because it always has, he says.
“Change is the one constant in the music industry. It’s the thing we’re used to. Just when you think you’ve got it down, it changes.”
Adrian Crutchfield
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Tickets: $5 (additional donations welcome).
Details: www.eventbrite.com.
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 1:20 PM.