Did You Miss D’Angelo? Artist Hits The Stage After 12 Year Absence

D’Angelo performs for the first time in 12 years at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival.

By: Taren Vaughan

Dealing with personal issues outside of the studio, D’Angelo has been missing in action from the music scene. And now he may just be on the verge of a serious comeback. The 38-year-old R&B singer appeared as a surprise guest of The Roots’ group member Questlove at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival this past Sunday. And against all doubters’ words, he was extra eager to re-introduce D’Angelo to the fans:

“I’ve been waiting 12 years to say this — ladies and gentlemen, D’Angelo!,”

This was the first time the “Brown Sugar” artist performed since 2000 in the U.S.

Putting his best foot forward, D’Angelo made sure that he was ready to bring it on stage, putting in six hours of practice time with his band before their performance. The band performed a 90-minute set featuring hits from Jimi Hendrix, Parliament Funkadelic, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. And judging from the crowd reaction, it was all worth it, as they shouted “One more song! One more song!”

As the night winded down, it was clear that D’Angelo was just getting started, asking his fans:

“Do y’all want us to go home yet?”

The extended invitation that he received to be apart of the jam fest was Questlove’s chance to prove to the naysayers that D’Angelo still has it, despite his rocky past:

“I wanted him to see that,” “That’s a green light. Me doing it wasn’t, like, running out of jam partners. Me doing it was basically showing him, `Look, you are so missed you don’t even realize how much you are missed,’ hoping that this will be the adrenaline boost that will finally get him to turn his record into the label. It’s done, it’s brilliant. I played on it. I know it’s brilliant. Now it’s just time to let his kids go and show it to the world. That’s what I’m here for.”

Another D’Angelo album could be in the works folks.