Nina and Me Tour


The Nina and Me Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer Ledisi. After the release of Ledisi's tenth album Ledisi Sings Nina, the tour was revived as the Ledisi Sings Nina Tour in July 2021. The Ledisi Sings Nina Tour also coincided with The Wild Card Tour. A concert special, Ledisi Live: A Tribute to Nina Simone, aired on PBS on November 28, 2020, featuring the performance recorded at Myron's Jazz Cabaret in the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 1, 2020.

Background

In 2003, Ledisi recounted first listening to Nina Simone. After the release of her second album Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue in 2002, she reached a stagnation in her music career.
After hearing Nina Simone's cover version of "Trouble in Mind" on the radio, Ledisi repudiated her thoughts of suicide and revived her career. In 2006, she secured a record deal with major label Verve Forecast Records and went on to release a total of seven albums during her duration on the label. In 2017, she incorporated songs from Simone's repertoire into her concert with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. In 2018, she headlined a tribute concert to Simone in New Orleans with the drummer Adonis Rose and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. In May 2019, she embarked on the Nina and Me Tour.

Concert synopsis

During the Nina and Me Tour, Ledisi opened the show with "I Put a Spell on You" and often performed "Feeling Good" as an encore. In 2021, she revamped the set list for the tour and retitled it the Ledisi Sings Nina Tour. The set list included her single "Anything for You". Ledisi opened the show with "Feeling Good". Before performing "Trouble in Mind", she recounted how Nina Simone's version of "Trouble in Mind" helped her overcome her experiences with career stagnation, financial issues, and suicidal thoughts.

Critical reception

Shaun Brady of The Inquirer referred to the concert as "a powerful evening, a fitting tribute to a complex and brilliant artist". Brenda C. Siler of The Washington Informer reviewed Ledisi's March 13th performance at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Siler stated, "Ledisi did not attempt to mimic Simone’s unique vocal style. It was an evening where we heard Ledisi’s multi-octave vocal range. From the moment she came on stage, it was clear Ledisi intended to spread joy."

Ledisi: The Legend of Little Girl Blue

On December 13, 2019, Ledisi opened her two-week residency show Ledisi: The Legend of Little Girl Blue to Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California. The show was written by Ledisi and her husband Ron T. Young. It was directed by Gregg Field and produced by Billy Porter and Suzi Dietz. The residency show ended on December 29, 2019.

Set list

Nina and Me Tour (2019)

  1. "I Put a Spell on You"
  2. "I'm Going Back Home"
  3. "Be My Husband"
  4. "Trouble in Mind"
  5. "Four Women"
  6. "Mississippi Goddam"
  7. "Little Girl Blue"
  8. "Take My Hand, Precious Lord"
  9. "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free"
  10. "Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don't Leave Me)"
  11. "All the Way"
  12. "Here Comes the Sun"
  13. "Work Song"
  14. "My Baby Just Cares for Me"
  15. "Wild Is the Wind"
;Encore
  2. "Feeling Good"

Ledisi Sings Nina Tour (2021)

  1. "Feeling Good"
  2. "My Baby Just Cares for Me"
  3. "Little Girl Blue"
  4. "Good King Wenceslas"
  5. "Trouble in Mind"
  6. "Do I Move You?"
  7. "Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don't Leave Me)"
  8. "All the Way"
  9. "Here Comes the Sun"
  10. "Work Song"
  11. "Wild Is the Wind"
  12. "Baltimore"
  13. "Shot Down"
  14. "See-Line Woman"
  15. "Anything for You"
  16. "I Put a Spell on You"
  17. "I'm Going Back Home"

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenue
July 24, 2021Los AngelesUnited StatesHollywood Bowl
July 30, 2021NewportUnited StatesNewport Jazz Festival
August 17, 2021San DiegoUnited StatesThe Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
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DateCityCountryVenue
January 12, 2022St. PetersburgUnited StatesDuke Energy Center
January 13, 2022West Palm BeachUnited StatesKravis Center
January 14, 2022MiamiUnited StatesAdrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
January 15, 2022TallahasseeUnited StatesRuby Diamond Concert Hall
March 13, 2022Washington, D.C.United StatesKennedy Center
July 22, 2022PhiladelphiaUnited StatesThe Mann Center

DateCityCountryVenue
February 23, 2023New York CityUnited StatesCarnegie Hall
September 8, 2023San FranciscoUnited StatesDavies Symphony Hall
September 15, 2023New York CityUnited StatesPittsburgh International Jazz Festival

Personnel

Nina and Me Tour

  • New Orleans Jazz Orchestra
  • The L.A.B Trio
  • * Music Director/Piano: Brandon Waddles
  • * Bass: Jeremy George
  • * Drums: John Davis
  • Metropole Orkest

Ledisi Sings Nina Tour

;Note: This list does not include the individual personnel of orchestras or symphonies.

Broadcasts and recordings

On November 16, 2020, Ledisi announced the concert special Ledisi Live: A Tribute to Nina Simone via her Facebook. Professional footage from the tour aired on American television network PBS on November 28, 2020. The concert special was recorded at Myron's Jazz Cabaret in the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 1, 2020, by Ledisi's film company Fig Street Films. On November 18, 2022, Ledisi released Ledisi: A Night of Nina which was distributed exclusively through PBS.

Personnel

;Production
  • Executive producers: Ledisi, Ron T. Young, Myron Marton,
  • Producers: Tim Swift, Gregg Field
  • Production manager: Benny Biggs
  • Makeup artist: Terrell Terry Jr
  • Hair stylist: Tony Walker
  • Teleprompter operator: Gigi Koury
;Band
  • Musical director: Brandon Waddles
  • Guitar: Michael Nomad Ripoll
  • Bass: David Parks
  • Drums: Brian Collier
  • Percussion: Ronald Gutierrez
  • Backup vocalists: Keisha Renee Lewis, Shannon Pearson, Sara Williams