Leon Bridges will perform with PJ Morton at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, in the Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort, Reno. Tickets are $37, $47 or $57, plus fees and taxes, at apeconcerts.com. LINK
On his sophomore album “Good Thing,” Leon Bridges’ voice breaks into the debut single “Bad Bad News” in much the same way the artist broke into the public eye in 2015 – forcefully, honestly, and all at once. “They tell me I was born to lose,” he sings with characteristic soulfulness, “but I made a good, good thing out of bad, bad news.”
The lyric is a fitting way to sum up a whirlwind ascent for the young artist. In 2015, Bridges’ first album, “Coming Home,” surprised the music industry by debuting at #5 on the Billboard Top 200. Only months prior, he had been playing sparsely attended open mics in Dallas-Fort Worth after work washing dishes at a local restaurant. In a span of three years, Coming Home would take Leon to the White House to perform for former President Obama, see him on the stage of Saturday Night Live and earn him nominations for two Grammy Awards including Best R&B Album. The debut album has gone on to sell over 500,000 records (certified RIAA Gold) and has been streamed 350 million times and Leon now regularly sells out 10,000-person capacity rooms in cities around the world.
Gone are the days of Leon Bridges, the up-and-comer with potential. In the years since the release of “Coming Home,” (Tahoe Onstage album review LINK) Leon has proved himself a true artist with staying power. Good Thing cements him as complex, multifaceted, and capable of making groundbreaking work. “I really wanted to prove to people that I can exist in any genre, but still be myself,” he says intently. “I don’t want to be the R&B underdog anymore.”
