Tony! Toni! Toné! reunite to throw an epic ‘house party’ in Oakland

At Oakland’s Paramount Theatre, a rapturous crowd stood at attention as former chair of the Black Panther Party Elaine Brown warmed up the room with a history lesson on the rise, fall and rebirth of Oakland’s 7th Street District, putting into context one of The Town’s greatest musical success stories.

“Tonight we came to celebrate the resurrection of the great sons of soul — Tony! Toni! Toné!” she declared.

Kicking things off with the theme from “House Party II,” the homecoming concert was one of three Bay Area performances (a second at Paramount tonight, and the Masonic in San Francisco on the 17th) by the iconic R&B trio behind ’90s hits like “Feels Good,” “Whatever You Want” and “Anniversary.” In the years since, each member has continued making music on their own, most notably Raphael Saadiq, who has released five solo albums and co-wrote Beyonce’s “CUFF IT.” But this tour marked the first time the band has reunited since they stopped releasing music together after 1996’s “House of Music,” which went platinum on the strength of the singles “Thinking Of You” and “Let’s Get Down.” 

To say that Oakland was prepared for this reunion would be an understatement. The sold-out event felt like a fashion show for the over-40 set, with a stellar selection of sharply tailored suits, date-night dresses and colorful trilby hats. The stylish looks and the Paramount’s art deco backdrop would’ve made for excellent selfie material — except that everyone’s cell phones were stored securely in locked Yondr pouches for the duration of the show.

That precaution, usually reserved for comedians fearful of social media backlash, was actually a brilliant move. As much as I would’ve loved to share a video of the 3,040-capacity theater erupting at the opening groove of “House Party II,” the lack of social media stunting made the night feel much more like an actual house party, as bar lines buzzed with excited strangers making small talk. Although it might sound like a contradiction, the lack of cell phones hoisted in the air during the show made the experience much more memorable, as everyone in attendance was fully engaged with the music.

Along with founding members vocalist Raphael Saadiq, keyboardist Timothy Christian Riley and guitarist D’wayne Wiggins, there were an additional 10 musicians ripping through these classic tunes, with a horn section, backup singers and even a guest appearance from a pair of collegiate tuba players for Saadiq’s solo cut “Still Ray.” Saadiq originally emerged in a white linen suit complete with a flowing puffy shirt, but would have several costume changes throughout the night, with him and the original trio closing the night in colorful sparkling slacks. Casual touches like a burning stick of incense wedged into the neck of Wiggins’ guitar made the performance feel like a gathering of old friends rather than a group of hired guns.

The Bay Area shows serve as the finale for the band’s 25-date tour, and as you might expect from a road-tested act, the musicianship was sterling (despite a booming kick drum that occasionally overwhelmed the quieter moments). Although it’s been over 25 years since the last Tony! Toni! Toné! release, you wouldn’t know it from the audience’s reactions. Smash hits like “Whatever You Want” and “Anniversary” drew the biggest reactions, but the opening notes of nearly every song were met with cheers of recognition, and the crowd’s singing often drowned out the baby-making harmonies of the talented backup singers. 

Although the set was mainly Tony! tracks, Saadiq took the spotlight after a brief intermission for a string of his biggest solo hits (“Get Involved,” “Be Here” and “Ask of You”). Then he ran through a medley of songs that he’d co-written with other artists, including Total’s “Kissin’ You,” D’Angelo’s “Lady” and “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” Erykah Badu’s “Love of My Life,” Solange’s “Cranes in the Sky” and Beyoncé’s “CUFF IT.” After each song, he pounded his chest, mouthing the words “That’s my s—t,” a rare moment of bravado in an otherwise humble victory lap.

By the time the band broke into an encore of “Feel Good,” many attendees had left their seats and danced their way into the aisles near the front row in a pure and heartwarming celebration of three of Oakland’s funkiest sons of soul.