Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires played a lively show at the House of Vans on July 13th with support from The Cool Kids. The man, the myth, the soul-funk legend blew the doors off the venue with his soulful and dynamic sound.

Bradley and his band electrified the crowd with a robust performance. Each song Bradley played sounded like Apollo Creed’s entrance in Rocky 4. Electrifying brass and deep, funky bass ruminated through the intimate venue as Bradley, ever the showman, sauntered through the show like James Brown in his prime.

His voice is so mighty, when Bradley sings, it forces the full attention of everybody in the room. His cool, effortless swagger and flashy sequined jumpsuit catches the spotlight and make his appearance impossible to turn away from.

During “Love Bug Blues,” Bradley belted out “I’m filled with desire / can’t stop the fire” with a passion unlike any other singer can. When he sings, the sound of a man with a truly heavy heart and a troubled soul comes out. Together with his band, the fiery sound of guitars, bass, and horns covers every inch of the room like dark red velvet.

As he charged into “It Ain’t a Sin” the crowd was grooving and moving their feet. Each song pounded out of the speakers and caught a vibe. The closing song, “Changes” brought the house down and got the crowd chanting his name to bring the legendary Charles Bradley back to the stage.

Bradley’s live set is an energized, swaggering show filled with impassioned funk and R&B tunes. For a man who just recently dominated cancer, dominating a live concert is something like a day at the office.