D’Angelo August 21, the Chelsea.

To understand the breadth of this performance, we must start at the end. Well, what some people thought was the end.

It’s right after the encore, and many a crowd member walks out. We can’t really blame them. Another monster jam has just ended, this one a 20-minute opus with twists and turns, multiple segments and pace changes—a worthy closer by anyone’s account. (Side note: Whether D’Angelo played 10 minutes or 10 hours, nobody would’ve complained. He leaves it all on the stage in a fashion that’s exhilarating and exhausting for the audience.)

Now we’re in a long break, but the lights still haven’t come up; house music isn’t playing overhead. And those of us who remain are rewarded. The neo-soul maestro again walks onto the stage with the other 10 members of his band and gives us a stirring rendition of “Untitled (How Does It Feel).” Like the song before it, it stretches well into double-digit minutes. It ebbs and flows and makes for one of the most memorable concert moments of our lives.

It starts with a mean blues feel, nastier than the version we all know from 2000 album Voodoo. Then the spotlight shines from overhead on the musicians, giving each a deserved moment while bandmates continue playing, highlighting one other. Imagine a live performance with isolated audio tracks for each player, where each player is good enough to back one of the most thrilling frontmen in the game. That’s what’s going on here.

Fittingly, the last person left onstage is D’Angelo. After taking us on journeys through the worlds of soul, funk, rock and jazz, it’s now time for the gospel portion of the show—D’Angelo preaching, backed solely by his keyboard and his remaining audience choir.

As the set ends at the two-hour mark, with all of us screaming “How does it feel,” the answer is clear.