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This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk honors the anniversaries of landmark albums that have shaped the course of music and culture.
Felix Contreras | June 25, 2025
Did we really squeeze the big sound of Living Colour behind the Tiny Desk? Yes, we did. And, yet, the band lost none of its intensity at a slightly lower volume.
Living Colour starts with "Cult of Personality," the shot heard around the world, but spends the rest of the set celebrating 35 years of Time’s Up. The album planted a flag for Black rock bands inspired by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Motown and hardcore-punk pioneers Bad Brains, which gets a heartfelt shout out here before "Time’s Up." Guitarist Vernon Reid’s sonic bag of tricks is on full display as are the deep grooves of drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish. Corey Glover’s voice cuts through it all.
Will the smaller setting inspire the band to trade in its equipment truck for a van and smaller amps? Perhaps, but this performance shows that, at any sound level, Living Colour commands attention and respect for its past and present.
SET LIST
"Cult of Personality"
"Pride"
"Love Rears Its Ugly Head"
"Time’s Up"
"Solace of You"
MUSICIANS
Corey Glover: vocals
Vernon Reid: guitar, background vocals
Doug Wimbish: bass, background vocals
Will Calhoun: drums
TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame
Audio Engineer: Josephine Nyounai
Production Assistant: Dora Levite
Photographer: Grace Raver
Tiny Desk Team: Lars Gotrich, Ashley Pointer
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
#livingcolour #nprmusic #tinydesk
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