D’Angelo performed Brown songs including “I Don’t Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing” and “Maybe the Last Time” at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday. The tribute show didn’t refer to the turmoil in Ferguson, Mo. Would James Brown have done so? (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Angelique Kidjo told the crowd about first hearing James Brown’s music as a girl in Benin: “I said to myself, ‘The language he’s singing in, I want to learn that language.’” (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Aloe Blacc, the hit maker behind “The Man” and “I Need a Dollar,” sang Brown’s “The Payback,” “Super Bad” and “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” during Wednesday’s tribute show. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Angelique Kidjo sang “Say It Loud -- I’m Black and I’m Proud.” (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Bettye LaVette let loose on “I’ll Go Crazy,” “Try Me” and “It’s a Man’s World.” (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Aloe Blacc not only sang in Wednesday’s tribute show, but he has a role in the new James Brown biopic “Get On Up” as Nafloyd Scott, one of the original Famous Flames. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
An image of the late James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, is projected on a Hollywood Bowl screen during the show. Soul Brother No. 1 had been a voice for peaceful change in his life, but that aspect of him seemed missing in Wednesday’s performances. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
