Only Good Music: 2026

The Crusaders Setlist Blue Note TOKYO, Tokyo, Japan 2008

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The band members appeared a little after the scheduled start time of 9:30 PM. Oh, Wilton Felder appeared on the runway right in front of me, and I couldn't help but shake his hand! Wow, everyone was so close! This is the best part of Blue Note unreserved seating. Then, the band began with "FREE AS THE WIND" and "SWEET'N' SOUR." Joe Sample delivered his usual catchy melodies. Since this was the final Blue Note performance, they played one song after another, seemingly unleashing everything they had up to that point. Unlike previous setlists, it felt like they were deciding the next song on the spot (in fact, Joe was giving instructions out of the blue). The tension of deciding the order of the solos and the finishing cues on the spot was palpable, and it got me excited, too, being so close.

Gadd played subdued, but Joe got the crowd going and he played a long drum solo. It was a sight to behold. His drumming alone was worth the watch. After nearly 100 minutes of playing, I was able to hear most of the band's main songs, so I was very satisfied. I even got to shake hands with Wilton and Ray Parker, who passed by during the encore.