Saturday, July 08, 2006

Living Soul - Solomon Burke at Massey Hall


Burke appeared with an 8-piece band, including a fantastic, fantastic B3 player + 2 singers, his daughter and god-daughter. The lights went down, and there he was, a mountain of purple glitter standing briefly, then sitting on a huge throne. Two huge buckets of long-stemmed roses sat at his feet - he threw them to women in the audience who stepped up to the stage in some kind of soul-communion. The audience is swaying and clapping and singing, and Burke invites us to the stage, come on up here, come on up here, I know my dancers have been waiting all night, and dozens of people file up to the stage and start dancing. This isn't a concert, it's a dance party. It isn't a dance party, it's a revival. Some guy is taking a picture with his cell phone on stage, and Burke talks to him. His wife is at home - he lost his wallet on his way to the show. Let's call her up, call her up. Do you know who this is? Do you know who you're talking to? James Brown, he says, and starts into a JB tune. Then the dancers are sitting down on stage, at the feet of this mamoth soul legend, and the band lays right back, and Burke moves into Don't Give up on Me, the B3 cutting through the melody, this is pure gospel and it's beautiful, and then he's rocking again, and the trombone and the sax are honking and audience members are helping pass out more roses, and everyone is dancing, and Burke is singing I need you, I need you, I need you, and he's shaking hands all around and the light go down and he's gone into the night.

I rate this show, a full case of the biggest and fattest and tastiest salties sold anywhere. If Solomon Burke comes to your town, don't miss the show. The picture, which is from Burke's website, shows him with Carla Thomas in 2003.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Stagg sez- great gawd alive-what a show-it souds like the perfect description too!