A Celebration of the Life and Birthday of Luther Vandross

If only for one night could you just forget about the troubles in the world and lay off some stress by dancing and singing the night away. Literally just that is what happened last night at the Lodge Room in Highland Park yet again, but this time, it was all in honor of Luther Vandross.

The beginning of something incredible, Art Don’t Sleep in conjunction with Sony Legacy, has brought to you a tribute show dedicated to the life and legacy of the man with the velvet voice, Mr. Vandross. Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad collectively revisited Luther Vandross’ extensive catalog and take you on a ride back in time when raw talent meant everything. From his classic hits such as ‘Dance with my Father’ to ‘Here and Now’ the audience showed nothing but love and sentiment, and proved that there is just ‘Never Too Much’ of some Ronnie.

With the permission of Luther’s Estate, Adrian and Ali were able to take some of his timeless songs and reinvent them incorporating their own individual sounds, but of course, never taking away from the legend and what he has left behind. This project meaning so much to both Adrian and Ali, as they understand with the work that Luther Vandross created being something so special, it shouldn’t be placed in the wrong hands. With that being said, they ensured to honor the legend and simply remind us all how much we truly do love his music.

A big shoutout goes to the lovely DJ Moni Vargas who opened the night and also to Aaron Byrd from KCRW who had the pleasure of hosting. It was the perfect night to celebrate Luther’s influential contributions to music, and the best part of the night by far was singing the legend happy birthday with everyone as the clock struck midnight.

We cannot wait for the rest of the world to hear the new music that Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad produced paying homage to one of the greatest voices of all time. Stay tuned, because this tour may just be stopping on your side of town very soon!