<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThey look so good together!\u201d That was just one of the many enthusiastic fan pronouncements overheard during the Los Angeles stop for one of the year\u2019s most anticipated reunion tours: Raphael Saadiq Revisits Tony! Toni! Ton\u00e9!: Just Me and You Tour 2023.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Oakland, California-bred R&B trio \u2014 brothers Raphael Saadiq and D\u2019Wayne Wiggins, plus cousin Timothy Christian Riley \u2014 also sounded just as damn good as they did in their \u201890s heyday. From the time the group jumpstarted Saturday night\u2019s (Nov. 11) proceedings with \u201cHouse Party (I Don\u2019t Know What You Come to Do)\u201d from 1991\u2019s House Party 2<\/em> soundtrack until exiting arm-in-arm after rocking Inglewood (L.A.), California\u2019s YouTube Theater with the fitting finale \u201cFeels Good,\u201d Tony! Toni! Ton\u00e9! kept the audience on its feet for nearly two hours. Also getting their groove on during the sold-out, no-phones show: actor\/comedian Eddie Murphy, Common and Jennifer Hudson, producer No I.D., NBA legend John Salley and actor Anthony Anderson.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhere are my Day Ones at \u2026 Are you all ready to go on this journey?\u201d queried Saadiq during the first half of the show, which included such hits as \u201cIf I Had No Loot,\u201d \u201cLet\u2019s Get Down\u201d and \u201cWhatever You Want,\u201d plus fan faves like \u201cTil Last Summer.\u201d Throughout the evening, the individual talents of each of the titular TTT members was spotlighted.<\/p>\n \n\tWiggins was vocal lead on \u201cWhatever You Want\u201d and \u201cTil Last Summer,\u201d which were sing-along crowd-pleasers, as was his dexterous guitar playing. Riley\u2019s commanding presence on keyboards also drew raves \u2014 at one point while playing, he went down on his knees, which prompted Saadiq to note, \u201cThat\u2019s new!\u201d Bassist Saadiq\u2019s own tenor-to-falsetto vocals rounded out the trio\u2019s still sublime harmonies as on the classic \u201c(Lay Your Head on My) Pillow.\u201d Also getting their chance to shine were members of TTT\u2019s skilled band and estimable background singers.<\/p>\n \n\tFrom there, after a 10-minute intermission, the Tonys pulled out all the stops. Among the highlights: Saadiq revisiting his work as a solo artist (\u201cBe Here\u201d), as a member of Lucy Pearl (\u201cDance Tonight\u201d) and as a songwriter\/producer behind hits for other artists. That oh-wow trip down memory lane included D\u2019Angelo\u2019s \u201cLady\u201d and \u201cUntitled (How Does It Feel),\u201d Erykah Badu\/Common\u2019s \u201cLove of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)\u201d and Solange\u2019s \u201cCranes in the Sky.\u201d After that, a massive singalong ensued as the group shifted into fourth gear with \u201cIt Never Rains (In Southern California),\u201d \u201cAnniversary\u201d and the aforementioned \u201cFeels Good.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tDeclared Wiggins of the evening, \u201cIt\u2019s been 25 years since we\u2019ve been onstage together. We are family forever!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tKicking off Sept. 21 in Birmingham, the 25-date Raphael Saadiq Revisits Tony! Toni! Ton\u00e9!: Just Me and You Tour 2023 itinerary included stops in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and Las Vegas. The trek will wrap later this week when the group returns to its Bay Area stomping grounds: Oakland (Nov. 14-15) and San Francisco (Nov. 17).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n