André 3000 threw us all for a loop when he released his debut New Blue Sun last November. The new age instrumental album (on which Dre 3K showcases his skills as a flautist) isn’t what anyone expected from the man best known for his bars as one-half of OutKast and his spotlight-stealing features. However, he proved that you don’t have to deliver the expected to succeed. Now with his newly announced New Blue Sun Live Tour, he’s started making the promo rounds. His first stop is on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert for a performance of his song “That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther And Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control ... S**t Was Wild’ and a chat with host Stephen Colbert.
Rather than play a trimmed version of the song, André 3000 and his band performed it in all of its 10-minute glory. It starts with the sound of purring before Andre and his digital wind instrument took center stage amidst the gentle crashing of symbols and soft thumps of drums. Along with the bluish glow of the stage lights and other lighting effects, it was a mesmerizing experience to behold as the celebrated artist took the audience on a different type of musical journey.
During his sit-down with Colbert, he touched on why he went in this particular direction. “In my life, I discovered flute, and I started playing them over and over and over for years and I felt like it would be great to share it. So, it kinda came in a natural way,” he told the host.
Those curious to see him share his art in person should run and not walk to his website for tickets as nearly every date for the intimate tour is already sold out. For those not lucky enough to be in the number, you can watch André 3000’s performance of “That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther...” and his conversation with Colbert in the videos below.
