Every album that is ever released will eventually have a 30th and 35th anniversary. Few bands stick around with their original, or close to original lineups to celebrate those anniversaries. Living Colour is one of those unique bands: Their debut, Vivid, was released 35 years ago. And their third album (and first with current bassist, Doug Wimbish) came out 30 years ago.

Living Colour played an amazing, if somewhat short, set at Tally Ho Theater in Leesburg, Virginia, recently. The band is currently on tour celebrating Vivid and Stain’s milestones.

At Tally Ho on July 28, the show started with The Alan Scott Band. The last time I saw Living Colour was in 2017 at the Tally Ho with Alan Scott opening. I even went with the same friends! Alan is probably the happiest opener I have ever seen. He’s a blast to watch!

Just before Living Colour hit the stage, WTFF played over the house speaker announcing the bands’ arrival. The band is the same lineup that it’s been since Stain was released in 1992: Corey Glover on vocals, Vernon Reid on guitar, Will Calhoun on drums, and Doug Wimbish on bass. The band came out on stage ready to play. This was the third show on their tour and the second of three shows in the DC area. Living Colour’s set opened with “Leave It Alone” from Stain.

Stream Stain by Living Colour on Spotify:

One of the great things about seeing Living Colour live is the banter between songs. Corey was the only band member to come out wearing a jacket and noted a few times how hot it was. After several calls of “Take It Off!,” Corey informed us all that under no circumstances would he be removing the aforementioned jacket. And even though he was apparently overheating, Corey was full of energy. He danced, did a bit of headbanging, and hopped off stage in front of the barriers and paced in front of the crowd. He even picked up a small table that was set up for drinks that had been knocked over.

The set focused mainly on the first three albums and their Biscuits EP. In fact, the only song that wasn’t from those albums was “Decadance” from The Chair In The Doorway, released in 2009.

The band played their most popular songs, including “Ausländer,” “Leave It Alone,” “Love Rears Its Ugly Head,” and “Cult Of Personality.” When they got midway through “Solace Of You,” Will Calhoun burst into a mini drum solo, which appeared to take the rest of the band by surprise. 

Next up was Bad Brains’ “Sailin’ On” from the Biscuits EP. Corey and Vernon then got into a disagreement about how many people in the audience knew who Bad Brains were. The crowd assured Vernon that we all knew who they were!

The show wrapped up with a medley of The Clash’s “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” and “What’s Your Favorite Colour (Theme Song).” The entire set was 14 songs and a little under 90 minutes with no encore. But even with that slight disappointment, it was still a great show and definitely worth seeing.

Setlist:

• Leave It Alone
• Ausländer
• Wall
• Never Satisfied
• Decadance
• Ignorance Is Bliss
• Glamour Boys
• Love Rears Its Ugly Head
• Type
• Cult Of Personality
• Time’s Up
• Solace Of You
• Sailin’ On (Bad Brains)
• Should I Stay Or Should I Go (The Clash)/What’s Your Favorite Color (Theme Song)

Here are some photos of Living Colour performing at Tally Ho Theater on July 28, 2023. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Marc Shea.