Words: Slade Rand
Photos: Margaret Campbell
Digable Planets launched the Ogden Theatre into rhythmic orbit on the closing leg of a 30th anniversary tour celebrating the group’s debut album, “Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space).”
“The Insects are in the building,” Butterfly first spoke from offstage while a band in highlighter orange suits meshed into a groove at 9:30 p.m on a Tuesday night.
The vibrant quintet jammed out a portion of Herbie Hancock’s 1973 ‘Rain Dance,’ while Doodlebug, Butterfly and LadyBug teased the crowd from mics stage right. Digable Planets emerged one by one rapping each verse in ‘It’s Good to Be Here’ to start the show.
The bouncy track opens up Digable Planets’ 1993 debut record. The Grammy-winning insect crew toured a 30th anniversary revival of “Reachin’” throughout the past year, tied to the album’s original Feb. 9, 1993 release. The late January show in Denver was moved to the larger Ogden Theatre from the originally scheduled Gothic, and it sold out the Ogden a few minutes before showtime.
Butterfly took the stage first in washed jean, Doodle next in a slate gray coat and hat, with Lady following in red and black for her verse.
“Good evening insects, humans too,” the Planets introduce themselves on “Reachin’.” “The Cocoon Club is proud to present to you tonight a new band. Straight from Sector Six and the colorful ghettos of outer space.”
The Planets’ backing band, the Culprits, played live takes on the classic jazz and funk tracks sampled on the 1993 record, balancing smooth precision with freeform interludes.
The band features Darius Movich on keys, along with two pairs of talented brothers. Kassa Overall plays drums for the Culprits alongside his brother Carlos on saxophone, with Gerald “Tugboat” Turner on bass and his brother Thadius Turner on guitar.
Butterfly stage left ran rhythms through a drum machine, often distorting voices and booming out lower frequencies. The additional drum and bass engulfed the audience in the sonic universe Digable Planets brought to the Ogden that Tuesday.
“We’re here to have some fun,” Doodlebug said. “Make some noise, dance around, feel the vibrations ‘cause they’re taking over the building.”
‘Where I’m From’ off the 1993 album gave LadyBug an early moment to shine. The audience shouted lyrics back at the three emcees while their backing quintet cruised seamlessly through the tune’s sample of KC & The Sunshine Band’s ‘Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong.’
“Peace be the greeting of the insect tribe, pestilent forces can’t catch a vibe,” Doodle rapped.
Digable Planets tore through a run of funkier tracks from “Reachin’,” hyping up the crowd with the chorus of ‘Pacifics’ before a saunter through ‘What Cool Breezes Do.’
The Culprits took another Butterfly beat for a ride during ‘Escapism,’ a “Reachin’” track built around Herbie Hancock’s ‘Watermelon Man.’ Butterfly uses the 1973 track’s intro to create a futuristic pattern for the Planets to flow over.
“Funk is you, funk is me, funk is us, funk is free,” LadyBug bobbed in front of the audience. “Insects at the joint, no flam, just kickin’ it.”
Before exiting the stage after an hour of classic tracks, Digable Planets gave the audience an electric performance of ‘Nickel Bags’ with a segment quoting A Tribe Called Quest thrown in for kicks. The Culprits stretched another jam out of Butterfly’s sample of Herbie Mann’s ‘Push Push,’ featuring Duane Allman.
Denver fans met the energy of the Planets’ genre-blending debut album with heart during the Ogden celebration of its 30 years in rotation.
Kassa Overall and a band of creative multi instrumentalists performed a fiery opening set ahead of the Planets at the Ogden.
Kassa plays drums, sings and raps center stage throughout his highly original live show. He leans into his bandmates’ strengths, giving space for extended drum solos and saxophone duets.
The band is Bendji Allonce on percussion, Ian Finkelstein on keys and Tomoki Sanders on soprano saxophone and percussion. Kassa and the trio rotated around the stage between instruments; Allonce and Sanders took time behind the kit during songs where Kassa walked the stage.
Tenor saxophonist Winston Bell at one point played a melody and strolled on from stage right, smoothly layering into the band’s ongoing improv. He joined Kassa for a pair of songs, playing alongside Sanders for a spacey jazz break.
“The quiet one is the one who watches,” Kassa rapped. Between songs, he stepped to the front of the Ogden stage, drumming on the floor and speakers while the band played an interlude.
Kassa Overall performed tracks from all three of his albums released since 2019, including a standout take on ‘Darkness in Mind’ off of 2022’s “I Think I’m Good.” Click here to stream Kassa Overall’s latest album “ANIMALS,” which features Danny Brown, Francis and the Lights and Theo Coker, among many other friends.
“What’s the best stocks to buy?,” Kassa rapped to the Ogden crowd. “Prison and pharmaceuticals.”
Digable Planets released its debut album “Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space)” on Feb. 9, 1993. Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler produced the album sampling jazz and funk records he had on hand, and he raps alongside Mariana “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira and Craig “Doodlebug” Irving. Butterfly tours as “Shabazz Palaces” currently, and is headed to Europe this spring. The “Reachin’” 30th anniversary tour wrapped this past week with two sold-out shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco.
Listen to Digable Planets here, and check out a playlist of album tracks paired with their original samples here.
After Midnight 
Leave a comment