Erykah Badu and The Alchemist's Austin Show: No Phones, Debut Album Tracks

Erykah Badu and The Alchemist made history, performing their album Abi & Alan in full during their live tour before its official release on streaming services. On their Aug. 24 date in Austin at ACL Live, we sent our contributor Rachel Parker to hear it first. After she agreed to embrace the analog and developed the film a week later, here's what she captured.

This was the final date of the Abi & Alan Luv Is Tour in Austin. The premise was simple enough: an opportunity to experience the entire album performed live by Badu, The Alchemist and The Cannabinoids before the Aug. 29 release date. The only catch was that phones, cameras, watches, or any other recording devices were not allowed.

As we arrived at ACL Live at The Moody Theater and picked up our tickets, security was handing out Yondr pouches to patrons to secure their phones. Overall, the crowd seemed pretty cool about the whole notion of just being present and in the moment, some even mentioning they liked not having their phones. Everyone in attendance got to feel what it was like going to a concert back in the '90s.

Showtime was billed to start at 8 p.m., but when it comes to a Badu show, you know she operates on her own time. The audience dressed in their finest and funkiest fashions restlessly chanted Badu over and over, hopeful to encourage a start to the evening. If there’s one thing we all should know, it’s that you can’t rush an artist. The lights finally dimmed around 9:30 p.m., and the band trickled out on the stage, which was set up to look similar to a recording studio. There were two separate boxed areas, one for The Alchemist and one for Badu. The set dressing included a cozy rug, trinkets, vinyl records, candles and lava lamps placed about the stage to give that authentic vibe. In the middle of the stage was the most digital thing we would see all evening, a tall vertical screen that displayed images and song titles in a papyrus-esque font.

The Alchemist, whose real name is Alan Maman, kicked things off, laying down some beats as a warm light above his cubicle started to glow. While the audience was getting hyped and focused on him, Dallas’ own Queen of Neo Soul slipped onto the stage, donning a zip-up hoodie, cheetah print leggings and clunky bejeweled boots. Badu sat down on a leather chair that was set up in her area, getting comfortable and adjusting her microphone.

It was clear at that moment that you weren’t in for the typical Badu show. While the stage had a theme and was layered in story, it wasn’t as grandiose as her set at The Bomb Factory earlier this year. This was meant to be more intimate, rich in sound, but scaled back in theatrics.

The set list hit heavy right from the rip with “Echos,” “I Just Play a Part” and a handful of other tracks from the upcoming album, blending The Alchemist's airy hip-hop beats with Badu’s signature rhythmic slam rhymes and skillful riffs. The two musical masters weave and work well together to create the experience. Every note played live, nothing pretracked.

The pair even took a little time to each do a couple of their own solo signature songs. The Alchemist, who’s well known in the hip-hop world as a mega producer for the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Nas and Snoop Dogg, stepped to the front working every inch of the stage, spitting rhymes smooth as butter, with a flow akin to '90s NY rap greats. Badu cheered him on from her booth until it was her turn to take over, moving her microphone stand front and center for her feature. The hypnotic songstress takes a moment to remove her hoodie before blessing the audience with a couple of all-time hits like “On and On” and “Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop)” before sliding seamlessly back into the Abi & Alan project.

At this point in the show, a few tracks really stood out. A song called “I Know That Man” took us on a spiritual journey to church and back. If the song is to be taken at face value, it’s a simple song about wanting to be good. The spiritual aura was elevated by turning the audience into a full-blown choir, filling the room with warm vocal layers of a sampled lyric originally from the Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers tune “Encourage Yourself.”

Another standout from the set was a song called “Witchcraft.” Much of the album had been a bit more subdued on her unique experimental sounds, but not this one. This absolute jam started with what can only be described as “Dory speaking whale in Finding Nemo...” transitioning into an evil witchy laugh. Queen Badu then took us through a who’s who of famous witches from Elphaba all the way to Stevie Nicks. The media was also referred to as a medium, so we guess we are also witches according to this bop. Hopefully, this tune is on the set list for future shows because it deserves to be experienced live.

As the evening started to wind down, Badu stopped to address the audience. “These live shows are like therapy for us, and I want to thank you for putting your phones in those little pouches,” she said, before playfully joking and holding her hands in the air. “Now you don’t know what to do with your hands.”

It’s a bold move for any artist to tour unheard material because crowd reception will always be a gamble, and that was the double-edged sword for the night. While the audience was present and listening, hanging onto every note for the duration, the reaction was still never bigger than during the familiar songs “On and On” and “Next to You.”

Before heading off for the afterparty, Badu took a moment to introduce her band, The Cannabinoids, and check the audience to see how many folks from Dallas were in the house before shouting, “We're living in the moment!” and triumphantly holding her hands to the sky for one last cheer as she strutted off stage. She appreciated the integrity and cooperation of the fans.

It’s great hearing the songs in the live format, like how they were hashed out in creation, but there’s also the distortion that comes with the environment. If you’re not dialed into the board, the mix can become muffled in various areas of the venue. The bass levels may be too overpowering at times, and they were. But this didn’t stop the ability to pick out potential standouts on the album like “No ID,” “Foreclosure” and “Black Box.”

We think Badu fans will be pleasantly surprised with the new music, which unfortunately has been delayed. Abi and Alan are a pair that just makes sense. Two folks who are bold risk takers with crazy tenure, doing it for the love of music. It comes across in the art they present, a neo-funk hip-hop masterpiece. The Queen of the 214 reigns supreme.

See more photos from last Sunday's show: