Sharon Jones, Dap-Kings bring soul revival to Jake’s

Daptone Records’ soul and funk revival was in full swing Saturday night as the fiery sounds of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings took over, shaking the stage at Jake’s Nightclub.

With openers Indianapolis’ Blackberry Jam and Brooklyn’s Menahan Street Band warming up the crowd with their signature brands of funk, Jones and the Dap-Kings set the winter night ablaze as they played to a packed venue.

The crowd, both young college students and older fans of soul, buzzed in anticipation for the night’s headliners. As it was the band’s first stop in Bloomington, many were watching Jones perform for the first time.

“Usually college towns and a town like Bloomington, compared to Chicago or L.A. or something like that, people come out and they want to have a good time,” said Dap-Kings bassist and Daptone Records co-founder Gabriel “Bosco Mann” Roth, “They’re not looking for a dog and pony show. They want to be part of the show.”

The band took its place on stage and rolled through a funk-filled introduction, led by Dap-Kings lead guitarist Binky Griptite, that got the Bloomington crowd moving on their feet.

“Welcome to the Daptone Super Soul Revue,” Griptite called out before introducing Jones to the stage.

The 52-year-old petite soul songstress strutted out to uproarious cheers, and after encouraging the crowd to get loose, Jones and the band launched into their opening number, “I’m Not Gonna Cry.”

Jones treated the crowd to a performance that tapped into such legends as Tina Turner and fellow Augusta, Ga., native, soul man James Brown, both of whom she name-checked as inspirations throughout the show.

Following in Brown’s tradition of keeping his band one of the tightest-sounding in the business, the Dap-Kings’ rhythm and brass maintained a collective groove that started and stopped on a dime and kept both Jones and the crowd moving throughout a set of more than 15 songs.

Including numbers such as “How Do You Let a Good Man Down?” “Nobody’s Baby” and “Be Easy,” the set inspired crowd sing-alongs and moved Jones to invite numerous audience members to dance onstage throughout the night.

Bloomington resident Blake Warren, one of the few women brought onstage during the show, said she enjoyed Jones’ performance.

“You’re here with her,” Warren said. “It’s not just her performing for you, it’s the whole crowd. She just wants us to be a part of it.”

Blazing through an assortment of original numbers and soul classics such as “Tighten Up” by Archie Bell & the Drells and the encore number, “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings had the crowd dancing and singing throughout the night.

“It was great to see that there were a lot of local people supporting us,” Roth said, “and we weren’t sure how big the crowd was going to be, but we didn’t really have any doubts that it was going be a good show.”