9/9/16 – Danielle Ponder at the Little Theater with Susanna Rose

On Thursday, September 9, “ponderous” and “Ponder” shared the same stage, as dream-folk songsmith Susanna Rose opened for a rousing sold-out “visual concert” addressing issues of social inequality and injustice by Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People.

For those who haven’t heard Susanna Rose live, you should do it the next chance you get. Rose’s sound isn’t complicated, and it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but man, it works for her. Using harmonies and strumming patterns that invoke the cold embrace of fall and winter, Rose sings songs that deal with the realities of life – freedom, unrequited love, death – with the tone of an introverted teenager who is wise beyond her years.

When she’s on stage – though this time she was a sparkling red dress that equally matched her glasses and juxtaposed her tone – she has a pose that leans back, and then leans forward into the mic. Her eyes are looking upward, with a mysterious look that is peering into her soul. This duality of looking inside herself and communicating her emotions perfectly to an audience creates for an entrancing show.

Rose uses melodies that sit on top of repeating guitar patterns, which are often babbling chord arpeggios, either finger picking or with a plectrum. Her last song was incredibly effective, as she switched to a languid two-feel with a spacious melody about wanting to fly.

Rose makes you feel and looking inside your yourself. Not an easy task, but she does it so effortlessly you can’t help but be spellbound.

Danielle Ponder is a one of a kind act, and her dedication to social justice, both in her day job as a public defender and her stage persona (which makes her sound like a superhero, which she very well may be), makes her truly special. Ponder and the Tomorrow People put on an entire show like a sermon, a rousing call to action, with the Little Theatre’s screen behind them.

Throughout the show, they featured clips that showed support and images about the Black Lives Matter movement, “black girl magic,” and body positivity, freedom, and just doing the right thing. The audio and visual (which also included music and voiceover from Ponder and the People themselves), which talked about her thoughts and struggles in life. Brothahood Productions by Adrian Elim, Goldnrd.com, and all brought together by Reena Golden, who took to the stage at the end of the concert and delivered some superb poetry at the end, eliciting call and response with hoots and hollers from the audience.

The visuals were excellent. Everything was exceptionally well-produced, and was slick without losing its authenticity. The messages were clear and effective, and were uniquely able to reach everyone in the diverse crowd. Her opening music video of “Working” was fun and potent, as it encapsulated her third theme of freedom. The band also played a long version at the end.

The music, as usual from this band, was exceptional. Their music is a perfect meld of soul, R&B, and hip hop; they even broke out some reggae-funk for a tune. For someone looking to place their sound into a box, it’s difficult. But, her sound, especially for this concert, perfectly echoed the the sentiment and style of the collaborative album between John Legend and The Roots. Both this album and Ponder’s concert had songs of positive change, circulating through alternating styles. Her songs moved through the themes of love, justice, and freedom. She wants us to be free by loving and accepting ourselves.

Ponder accesses her gospel and blues chops in a true and authentic way, riling the crowd up to action, involving the people in call and response. There were multiple standing ovations, the audience spent half the time on their feet and clapping, and a superlative final ovation.