Editor’s Note: “Yes Lawd!” The sentiment rang out Saturday (February 23) through The Orpheum, a message taken from NxWorries’ 2016 album but applied in full for Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals’ ongoing tour of North America. This past weekend saw the musician and producer bring his band to Boston, engaging with a lively, dance-mad crowd that seemed to know all the lyrics and words Anderson .Paak would throw at them. Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals’ sound is build on a foundation of soulful hip-hop, but then splinters out in every other possible direction, and that spectrum of sound was on full display. The man born Brandon Paak Anderson brings his Free Nationals band back to Boston for a Saturday swing at Boston Calling in May (performing on the same day as Tame Impala, Hozier, Mitski, Clairo, Sidney Gish and others), but on this past Saturday it was all about the theater experience. Yazi Ferrufino was at The Orpheum on behalf of Vanyaland photographing the performance, including snaps of opener Tayla Parx, and you can scan through his full gerry below.
