Raphael Saadiq Plays His First Hometown Festival at Outside Lands

Raphael Saadiq kicked off his main stage set at Outside Lands on Saturday by launching right into his hit '100 Yard Dash,' issuing the following command: "San Francisco, let's go home!" Ordinarily, a statement like that wouldn't make the most amount of sense, except that Saadiq was born and raised just across the Bay Bridge in Oakland.

Likewise, Saadiq did indeed turn his set into a sort of homecoming. "Feels so good to come home," he said. "This is the first time that I've played a festival at home in San Francisco and the Bay Area." Saadiq explained that he's taken his band around the world and, as the saying goes, there's no place like home.

The homecoming was complete when Saadiq picked up the bass and brought out special guest vocalist, his mentor, Roy Taylor, from the Gospel Hummingbirds. He's the man who first brought Saadiq out on a stage, in Oakland.

Still marveling that he was playing a hometown festival, Saadiq talked about growing up in the "slums" in Oakland, playing gospel in churches. "But it wasn't just gospel, said Saadiq. "It was blues. Dirty slum blues."

Finally Saadiq said that his growing up in the Bay Area, with its melting pot of musical styles, inspired the title for his album 'The Way I See It.' Saadiq started playing bass at the age of five, exposed to music from Al Green, Curtis Mayfield, and even local heroes Carlos Santana and Jerry Garcia. When the kids in school were listening to the latest hits, Saadiq said he holed up in his room listening to not only the songs of the day, but also classic grooves. "You play the kids this kind of music," he said, "and it'll keep them out of trouble."

Amen to that, Raphael. We like the way you see it.