Neal Francis is a piano man, but if you look a little closer you’ll see a rock star.  He takes his cues from the likes of Dr. John, Billy Preston and Allen Toussaint. Yet in most cases he still soars under the radar. After a stint with instrumental funk band The Heard was cut short by his addiction, Francis got sober and hit the road. He released his first album Changes in 2019 to critical acclaim. Covid came at the exact wrong time plateauing his trajectory, but he’s back on the road making music across the country on a nightly basis. This was his first time headlining in Fort Collins and he tapped Denver’s masterful manycolors to open up the show.

Fuzzy, lo-fi, downtempo, jazzy, musical landscapes created on the fly would be one way to describe the incredibly interesting output from manycolors. Another way would be an exploration of ‘sonic spaces.’ From the mind of producer and guitarist Brant Williams, manycolors is a collaboration with Braxton Kahn on drums, Kirwan Brown on bass and Eric Luba on keys. In short they create innovative and unobtrusive music for the modern age. The music is utterly infectious and always appropriate. Their live show builds on the musical foundation of the self-titled album with flourishes of hip-hop and jazz. They released the opening track “Bangs,” as a single years ago, but the full album in April of this year. This is a band built on friendship and collaboration which is evident in every track performed. Their set at the Aggie left me wanted more and I hope they continue to make Northern Colorado part of their touring schedule. At your next dinner party pop on the album, you won’t be disappointed.

Neal Francis is a stunning performer and I could feel the crowd press a little closer as he made his way on the stage. Francis is an analog man in a digital world—in fact much of his last album In Plain Sight was recorded through analog means. He wasted no time by opening up the show with “Already Gone.” “Problems” is a pop infused funk tune about song about an ill-fated love. “Prometheus” slowly builds like a flame catching air, with the band stretching out a bit on this one. “What’s Left of Me” is straightforward rock tune about a love who is long gone. I’m beginning to notice a theme in the songwriting. The band got brought back the funk on “Dirty Little Secret.”

The audience was locked in for the entire 90-minute set. Speaking of locked in, Neal’s band is tight. The dynamic between him and the new guitarist Andy Gabbard was especially palpable. Drummer Collin O’Brien stole the show during “Very Fine.” “150” Is a tongue-in-cheek tune about a stalker doing stalker things. “Can’t Stop The Rain” is an absolute banger and proves the incredible talent of both Neal and his band. “SYP” into “Changes” featured some of the deepest jamming of the night, before the band absolutely launched off on “Winner.” They closed a powerful set with the very personal song “BNYLV.” The full band came back for a quick encore with “How Have I Lived.”

Neal Francis continues to tour prodigiously spreading his own brand of musical gospel. His style would be at home at The Roxy in 1976, but we are lucky to have him. here today. Catch him live wherever you can.