Page 53 - ION Indie Magazine SeptOct 2018

After a 15-minute intermission, up next were the iconic Isley Brothers. Not
missing a beat and continuing the groove, they strolled on stage and
delivered their famously funktified brand of old school music. We’re
talking “old school” in the best possible way – where the main focus was
to simply entertain the people. And they did just that!

Ronald and Ernie Isley performed a 90-minute set that was overflowing
with an R&B stage presence, glittery clothes, flashy dancing girls, backup
singers, and even intimate church-style songs complete with preaching.
Lead vocalist Ronald Isley (aka Mr. Biggs) choked up during their rendition
of “Jesus Loves Me,” a tribute to Whitney Houston. The Isleys shared a
memorable spew of hits from their almost 64-year career, ranging from the
thick, funky “It’s Your Thing” and “Fight the Power,” to a delicious set of
innuendo-filled groove ballads, including “Between the Sheets,”
“Footsteps in the Dark,” “Smooth Sailin’ Tonight,” “For the Love of You,”
and Todd Rundgren’s “Hello It’s Me.” The band transformed a sentimental
song like Seals & Crofts’ “Summer Breeze” into a happy feel-good R&B
anthem, accented by Ernie Isley’s edgy, bluesy guitar licks. “Summer
Breeze,” (my favorite of their set) which featured an extended Ernie guitar
solo, was joined by snippet versions of Stephen Stills’ “Love the One You’re
With” and Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay.”

For a while, The Isley Brothers was comprised of actual brothers, but now
features just two -- lead singer Ronald Isley, who, at age 77, can still hit
most of those sensual falsetto notes, and brother Ernie Isley, a 66-year-old
guitarist deeply influenced by Jimi Hendrix. Fun fact: Jimi played in The
Isley Brothers band for a couple of years in the early 1960’s.

Ronald and Ernie were backed by a ten-piece band, all clad in flowing white.
This included three happy and ever-smiling dancers and three backup
singers, one being Kandy, Ronald’s wife. Kandy showcased her Whitney-
esque vocals while Ernie’s daughter also showed off her impressive
singing chops. The show was infused with plenty of humor. I particularly
loved when Ronald exhorted the ladies with, “Don’t change. Don’t change
anything. Don’t go to Jenny Craig.”