Toronto has been the place to be to witness some truly magical and memorable musical moments in the last month. Historically, Hogtown has been a world famous destination to touch down in, and recently, two absolute goddesses graced our populace, Helen Folasade Adu and Aretha Louise Franklin, and I’d like to contrast the almost inexpressible experiences I absorbed at each. First up, the lovely Sade...
(All photos courtesy of Richard Budman for shot7.com)

Sade. Ooh, let me say it again, just because it’s so sensual: SADE. Her name alone is nothing short of holy in many music lovers' hearts. She eternally floats in the pantheon of immortal soul vocalists, artists that create above and beyond the confines of time, space, and the plastic parameters of the music industry. She’s the kind of gem that should be shared with anyone serious about having supremely soothing healing music in their life. In the 80’s, my mom played her religiously at home (and I’ll certainly play her to my kids). To finally see the day that an anti-Twitter/Facebook-era chanteuse like Sade decided to come to town inspired indescribable appreciation, especially considering the tickets went on sale last year!

There were simply two types of people in Toronto that day: those who saw Sade at the Air Canada Center (yay!), and those who didn’t (sorry). After floating home tingling with goddess song molecules floating through my cerebellum, I thanked the music gods for giving an experience worth waiting 25 years for to actually be something I will remember for the rest of my life. It was like hearing a dream you never want to see the end of…

Fittingly, she set the entire night off with "Soldier of Love." Dressed in all black and looking exactly the way you imagine her to look (as in: utterly perfect), Sade and her understated collective of instrumentalists took the stage at the ACC, and escorted the awed audience across this sweet British-African’s long-time legacy, and with virtually every single song that gracefully descended into the venue, the crowd exploded in delight upon recognizing that: “YES! She really IS here, and she IS delivering this moment to you!”. The military thump and swirling mood of the title track from her latest album was the proper introduction for a night where she had thousands of people eating out of her dainty little palms. And it was touching for her to say: “I missed you Toronto, remember that last show we had at Canada’s Wonderland? It’s been so long!” Aww, she remembered us, she really did!

Infinite emotions may be expressed by a woman who knows herself and her voice well. Sade proved she was capable of virtually anything (except maybe hatred) on that stage. She is sensuality defined. Grace embodied. Even her imperfections are immaculate. Yes, there were a scant few moments where her demi-goddess status revealed its Achillles heel; during the crowd-electrifying classic “Your Love is King”, a faint flaw could be heard in Sade’s voice for a moment, seemingly like the slight cost of not world-touring and being publicly polished like a Beyonce or Rihanna type, with committee-approved over-produced artistry. But Sade’s tiny little flaws made the music better.You truly knew you were hearing the REAL Sade, cause that glitch wasn’t in the record I’ve heard a thousand times… What subtle divinity. And that unmistakable saxophone solo of “Your Love is King” was magically re-created note-for-note, satisfying an old soul in a thousand joyful ways.

The stage her show was set upon was equally grandiose and minimalist, as it should be for a star as bright and rare as Sade. Every song was a vignette and a dedication to the tune at hand, matching visual flair and lighting that complemented and enhanced every note and inflection that washed over the people present. Flashes of radiant reds, golden yellows, murky blues and blacks, ghostly greys and gentle greens, with flares and flashes of many inner expressions sauntered on the screen along with the songs. The entire ACC was at Sade’s disposal, and she presented each and every song with such slow motion control that I was often stranded between being lost in dancing and watching with rapt attention. An eight-piece band, including a four-piece horn section and two percussionists is what it took to recreate nirvana.

(This photo courtesy of Arti, who was there in attendance)

“Skin” was next, a delight, with the melancholy guitar outro before fading to black, and taking the show to a new dimension. Two twenty-foot silhouettes appeared on a screen at the back of the stage, and began to deliver all sorts of acrobatic and animated dances and outbursts. Anticipation escalated for what was to come but, oddly, Sade appeared on stage (for what I thought were a few moments too soon) and somewhat broke the illusion she built. Nevertheless, the show went to another level at that moment, as she sashayed between huge screen magic and small stage greatness for her next act.

Though she didn’t do it too much, every time she spoke to the audience, it felt actually sincere. “Do any of you feel like you’re on the margins? This one is for you.” and healed heads with “In Another Time.” Beautiful. But next was the show’s least profitable diversion: a somewhat-overlong 1930’s-era Manhattan backdrop with a gumshoe mystery theme played, while sub-stage adjustments were made… and patience heavily waned. It didn’t seem to fit into Sade’s soft and sensitive showcase. What could this build-up be worth?

“Smooth Operator.”

I see now. Please forgive my impatience, oh Angelic One, I am not worthy!

I am not capable of verbalizing exactly how fulfilling it is to hear a song from the most dreamy parts of your childhood be played live in front of your ears and eyes, and have it sound more ethereal and magical than your most sublime imaginations could make it. Easily one of the defining songs of the 80’s, there was not a single still soul in the ACC when Sade sung those unmistakable first elevating words: “Diamond liiiife… lover booooy…”

Thank you, universe.

Sade even bowed to the fine young gentleman who delivered yet another soul burning, sweet sax solo, as the song obviously required, to feel just right. When it was said and done, everything did feel right. Even though she actually didn’t surpass the excellence of the original, she was so faithfully close to the version we all know and love so well, it didn’t matter. She was breathing the same air as us all, and in her exhale was “coast to coast, LA to Chicago, western male…”, which I’d say is arguably one of the top ten most indelible soul melodies made in the last quarter century. Dream come true.

She took a seat to sing “Jezebel”, and though her voice cracked just for a split-second, it was still a stirring version of it, where she accented the grand finale with the most fierce singular note of the night, belting out a vibe that reached the rafters of the arena. Then the black curtain dropped, and Sade and Co. decided to usher us to an even more surreal realm of audio/visual artistry. From where I sat, directly across from the stage in the 100’s level (close to the floor), I could see center stage in perfect symmetry. Her next trick captured me more than any other of her special effects. They projected a wooded, flowery, peace-kissed nature landscape onto the sheer curtains, and had Sade somehow elevated on stage while floating/walking through the illusion of her suspended in the air in Mother Nature’s sacred garden. Words fail to paint the beauty of her image. Trust me, it was just glorious.

A journey through visions and sounds in a tradition that seems all but forgotten in a world full of creatively-cheap-thrill-seeking-fame-freaks and flavorless pop stars, Sade’s eternal brilliance shined across the decades like crystallized love that froze us all in that time we all shared sound as one. “Is It A Crime?” was offered next, and delighted the audience immensely, especially as she mysteriously emerged with her sleek self, being outfitted in a clean white top and a black vest. Before the show was over, she sparkled in a red ballgown worthy of being worn at an Obama Inauguration. The level above royalty is where you will find Sade. There were more than a few moments where they had created a visual spectacle that was just out of the realm of belief, where she seemed to be suspended in mid-air, or when there were home videos of her frolicking in the grass with playful delight as she gives her sweetest smiles and spirit to a lover lost in reminiscing bliss. This was one of the highlights of the whole show: Sade giving us all this vision, and planting the seed of the most impossible fantasy in our fiery minds, word to Nas.

I am trying to describe it all for those who may never get to be in the presence of such a rare jewel. “Love is Stronger than Pride” found Sade even sashaying and boogying a little for us, which also stirred the nether regions of every man present, most definitely. “After All This Time” bubbled happily as Sade’s back-up singers layered her vocals with silky adornments, which happened rarely, but righteously. The energy shifted when a helicopter effect turned the tempo up, the rock guitars came crawling out the crevasses, and she delivered the pulsating hit “Paradise,” which was accented with Sade dancing some more, doing some stepping with her bandmates, shifting into a lovers rock reggae breakdown, and then igniting a chant of “Nothing Can Come Between Us,” adding some full-on crowd participation to stand, dance and asking if people were enjoying themselves. They were.

Maybe it was ultimately nothing beyond slight variations of the same presentation, albeit with impeccable timing and execution. It was still SADE. As timeless as it all felt, at a peculiar point, one could sense an impending finale soon approaching, and gracefully, she chose the right path to descend back down the clouds to the earth from whence we came. “Morning Bird” was the next gift, which then flew into the waiting arms of “The King of Sorrow,” one of Sade’s finest songs, without question. Her sparkling white gown was what you would imagine her wearing for a heart-breaking song like so. And then, it came, another eternal gem:

“The Sweetest Taboo.”

Once again, no words; just feelings better than the things at the highest edge of our imagination. Joy from all. “There’s a quiet storm… and I never felt like this before…” I look forward to telling my mother that I heard Sade sing those words in person. She used to play it to us when we were kids. Amazing.

And though Jay-Z was not present, she still did “The Moon and the Sky”, a steamy version complete with the visuals to match. Burning sunsets and rich, bright colors contrasting with dark, moody hues was the overall motif, matching the music and making the entire experience more excellent than anything else now. “No Ordinary Love” was nearly the last nail in the coffin, assuring the death of anyone’s sadness who was present near such a queen.

It was almost over, you could really feel it. Yet, something was still missing. But then, it came: the life-cherishing magic of the first single off Lovers Rock, the worldwide love anthem: ”By Your Side.” The entire place erupted in absolute ecstasy. The singalong vibration in the venue had reached maximum swell, as the crowd became one with the voice of an African earth angel. An instant escape to a tropical nirvana is encapsulated in the DNA of that song, and we all were under the same palm tree on a breezy June evening on the shores of Montego Bay, being serenaded by the sugarcane sweet whispers of Sade. One of the best live concert moments of my life.

And I wasn’t the only one who felt a life changing moment. About three quarters way in the song, I heard some special type of screaming, not just “oh my God, Sade is performing one of the best songs ever” type screaming. Some “holy shit: this is truly remarkable!” screaming. I turn around, and I see a man and a woman in a solitary embrace, the picture of utter bliss and unity, as dozens of people around them were cheering and clapping. And what do I see in her hand? A wedding ring.

The guy asked his fiancée to marry him during "By Your Side" at the Sade concert! That’s one of the most beautiful moments I have ever had the joy to behold in my life, without a shadow of a doubt. After the cheering died down, I had to go and shake his hand to tell him that “proposing during Sade is probably the most wonderful honor you could give a woman you love.” And Sade is still singing in the background. The definition of divine.

It finally all ended with “Cherish the Day” as the ‘encore’. I accept. Ultimately performing about two albums worth of music in nearly a two hour show, one couldn’t ask for a moment more from Sade. We could, but it wouldn’t be polite, after all she gave to us. Sure she didn’t perform “Lovers Rock” or a few other hidden gems of hers… but that’s like complaining about one or two missing bricks on the Pyramids of Giza. It may not be perfect, but you’re still beholding one of the great wonders of the world.

At the end, there were more images of sunsets, and just a widespread sense that a sacred memory just manifested itself in Toronto… and we could all feel it. Leaving the show, people were just glowing, and talking to each other like: “was it good for you too?”

A final thought: she is 52. She hasn’t toured in 10 years. Who knows if this is her last tour or not. One hopes it isn’t the last time she performs in Toronto, but if it is: thank you. God bless Sade forever.