Raphael Saadiq, his brother D’Wayne Wiggins, and Timothy Christian Riley will perform as Tony! Toni! TonĂ©! for the first time in nearly 25 years. The Tonys set will feature classic R&B smashes like “Feels Good,” “Anniversary,” and “It Never Rains (In Southern California),” plus brand-new material. For this expansive, full-evening performance, Saadiq also taps his own deep catalog, performing tracks from his acclaimed solo albums, the music of his short-lived but beloved R&B supergroup Lucy Pearl, plus the hits he wrote for artists like D’Angelo, Daniel Caesar, Brent Faiyaz, Solange and BeyoncĂ©.
“I’ve always wanted to put my family back together,” says Saadiq. “Playing with the Tonys again is a thank you to the fans, the Super Tonians, for supporting all my musical efforts. Without those who were with us from Day One, where would I be? But the main reason is that my father, Charlie Wiggins, would’ve wanted it this way–to see me, D’Wayne, and Tim playing together again.”
Alex Pappademas in the New York Times wrote, “For two decades, [Saadiq has] done it, over and over. As a producer, he’s pulled concise statements out of performers who often default to the diffuse. But as one of relatively few major figures of the hip-hop age who grew up playing in bands, he’s just as adroit at leading from behind as a sideman, steering Mary J. Blige to an Oscar nomination (for “Mighty River,” from Mudbound) or playing bass behind Mick Jagger on a Grammy salute to Solomon Burke.”