Big Freedia and Tank and the Bangas are stopping by First Avenue on Sunday, October 28th and to say I’m excited for this show would be an understatement. Even if you’ve never heard of Big Freedia or Tank and the Bangas before and know nothing about her music, please come out and just experience it. It’s the most fun you’ll ever have on a Sunday and is worth so much more than the ticket price.
The scope of Big Freedia’s impact is undeniable. Over the past few decades, the New Orleans native has catapulted herself from local favorite to becoming the anointed Queen of Bounce, sharing some of her high energy flavor on massive hit tracks like Beyoncé’s Grammy-winning “Formation” and Drake’s “Nice For What” while shaping contemporary culture by bringing twerking, shaking and wiggling to a national platform.
“I just want to inspire people to understand that New Orleans culture is very special, it’s a phenomenal place and that we’re on a rise to bigger and better things and we speak it through our music and everyday living down here,” says Freedia, who was born and raised in the city’s 3rd Ward. “The pain and suffering that we go through here in New Orleans, we take it and we flip it around.”
Headlining the amazing night will be Tank and the Bangas. Originating in New Orleans, Tank and The Bangas have all the qualities that relates them, to the city that birth them but a flair that separates them as well. Their performances range from being “One of the most energetic shows you’ll ever see” to “A gospel tent in Mississippi”. Rummaging through their sound like a thrift store hippie, you’ll find the Bangas to provoke a musical reference of Rhythmic Soul and Spoken word among other genres such as Rock, Gospel, Funk, and Folk.
Combining the various musical techniques among the Bangas, coupled with the instilling play on lyrics from the lead vocalist; Tank and The Bangas have quilted a unique sound that singles them as one of the most distinctive groups to come out of New Orleans. The group has graced the cover of one of New Orleans most recognized magazines, “OffBeat” and recently won band of the year at the New Orleans Big Easy Awards. The group has opened for acts such as LiAnne LaHavas, PJ Morton, Galactic, Big Freedia, The Revivalist, and The Soul Rebels. Most recently the band was titled as the 2017 NPR Tiny Desk Contest winners.
Naughty Professor will be kicking the night off.
Tickets are still available here.
Tour Dates:
Oct. 18 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
Oct. 19 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
Oct. 20 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
Oct. 21 – Brooklyn, NY -Brooklyn Steel
Oct. 23 – Boston, MA – Royale
Oct. 25 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
Oct. 26 – Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall
Oct. 28 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
Oct. 30 – Maquoketa, IA – Codfish Hollow
Oct. 31 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman
Nov. 2 – Denver, CO – The Ogden
Nov. 3 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
Nov. 5 – Vancouver, BC – The Commodore
Nov. 6 – Seattle, WA – The Neptune
Nov. 7 – Portland, OR – Roseland
Nov. 9 – Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre
Nov. 10 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent
