Lakecia Benjamin at the DPAC

Lakecia Benjamin at the DPAC

Many of the fans who attended the Lakecia Benjamin concert at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center on Feb. 22 came in not knowing what to expect. I had a pretty good idea because I was familiar with the saxophonist’s work. I reviewed her 2012 debut album “Rewind”; for Soultracks.com. People left the concert understanding what I realized when I wrote that review, Lakecia Benjamin has an ability to fuse the influences of greats like John Coltrane with R&B, funk, gospel and hip-hop. She’s also an engaging performing who makes connections with the audience through storytelling, inviting call and response and evening breaching the boundary between the stage and audience. Here is a summary by yours truly, as well as some audience reaction