Photos: Kindness at the El Rey Theatre

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Adam Bainbridge — aka Kindness — brought his lanky limbs, big band and honey-voiced guests to the El Rey Theatre on Wednesday night. Oh, and he also brought his video camera to the kickoff of his U.S. tour, recording the crowd for a music video he plans to make.

After an opening set by New Orleans-bred, Mississippi-based rapper Pell, Bainbridge took the stage with a full band (plenty more backup than he had in August at FYF Fest) and sprinkled in a few covers into the set along with songs from his 2014 album “Otherness.” On this night, Kindness was surrounded by a three-piece band and two
backup vocalists, and was joined during the set by Angel Deradoorian and Kelela (the latter assisting on a cover of Mya’s “It’s All About Me”).

Also included: versions of Aaliyah’s “If Your Girl Only Knew” and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” There was plenty of fan interaction as well — he brought a birthday girl onstage and led a chorus of “Happy Birthday,” took photos for fans with their smart phones and sneaked into the crowd with his mic during the final song, surprising some of them.

And to fans shouting out for the hits, he quipped: “This isn’t a D’Angelo show. That’s why the poor guy took 15 years off. I plan on a three-year retirement but that’s it.”