Review: Amanda Seals ‘The Black Outside Again Tour’

“I never thought you two would come here and be in the front row!?”

Amanda Shields paused as the couple walked down the aisle toward their seats, and the audience turned their attention to the young men and women rushing toward the stage.

As everyone burst into laughter, Seales backed away and late guests jokingly explained their lateness, which no doubt had something to do with Houston’s never-ending traffic jams.

“Well, I was going to finish the show, but I guess I can make one more joke,” Shields exhaled, turning his attention to the cheering crowd.

Seales, known for acting in shows like HBO’s Insecure and the 2019 comedy special I knowreturned to Houston on Friday night black outside again tourShields has performed in the city before at high-profile venues like Warehouse Live, but given the many hats she wears, what happens at her shows varies. is. Her performances range from straight-up comedy sets to live game nights (Smart Funny & Black) for taping podcasts. And regardless of the show, Seales makes sure the audience is deeply engaged, and the vocal entertainer can easily switch between stage performances and crowd her work. She was on the Warehouse Live show a few years ago, Smart Funny & Black Game show mastermind Shields came to the Bayou Music Center to watch the volatile stars joke about everything from the commodification of Juneteenth to the emotional well-being of drug dealers. The city left a lasting impression on the show’s Californian, who referenced specific areas in a way that showed her familiarity with the town.

“My favorite thing about Houston is it’s black as hell,” she laughs. “It’s not just about being black out there, it’s about being black culturally.”

Shields balances talking about serious cultural issues while infusing her own brand of relatable humor. She never strays away from a particular topic, tackling it head-on and taking her audience on her ride. If people were complaining about an issue affecting her culture, improving her LGBTQ community, or really focusing on her opinion, she would laugh and talk about it on stage. . And while the show takes very heavy topics and treats them in a lighthearted way, her true mission is anything but trivial. Invited and told us about the individual jobs they do and how more people are staying apart. Active involvement is something Seales feels strongly about, making sure to reach out to people working in the community whenever her tour stops.

“It’s essential because when we say we need a village, we mean so many facets of community work to actually build anything.” We do very different jobs, but both are essential to building communities.”

For Christa Stoneham houston land bankand of Concetta and Q Jones Freemind Homeschooling, the opportunity to use the Seales platform is invaluable. Landbank is a community development corporation focused on low- to middle-income communities in the city of Houston and beyond to help stem the impact of gentrification. increase. Free Mind Homeschooling, on the other hand, focuses on guiding parents through the process of personally educating their children.

“It is an honor and a blessing to publicly share the work we are doing in providing families with solutions that build wealth and affordable housing solutions across generations,” said Stoneham. After talking about her organization, she said she would walk off stage. ”

“What she’s doing is just beautiful,” explains Q Jones, as he and his wife take a break after explaining the program at a booth set up at the show’s merchandise table. “She doesn’t have to do anything at this point in her career. The fact that she’s using her platform to spice things up.

While Seal’s name can be controversial (her Wikipedia page has a section devoted solely to controversy), much of it comes down to the realm of being an outspoken entertainer. Due to the nature of social media, these moments tend to get a lot of attention, but Seal tends to take on a lot of heat. highlights her passion for building

“I don’t think things in this world are balanced, but finding that balance for the audience on stage is part of my job,” she says. I believe that we must fight and fight with the same fervor for joy.When we look at the complexity of life, the good and the bad are happening at the same time, and if we forget the good, the bad wins out.”

Find out more about ‘The Black Outside Again Tour’ here here.