Web Logs
3/22/2005 - A Night at the Kennedy Center
Will was given a pair of free tickets to see the Sentimental Journey show at the Kennedy Center last friday. I wasn't really in the mood to go as my stomach was bothering me and I had tons to get ready for the band, but I could tell he really wanted to go "Come on Fitz, Aretha isn't getting any younger...", so we went.
The show was supposed to be a celebration to the music of the 40s, but most of the artist sang a 40s tune or two and then launched in their popular repertoire. The artist we saw were (in order of appearance):
- Dwight Yoakum - Not really to my taste. Obviously talented and clever in the lyrics department, but I just couldn't get into his stuff.
- Harolyn Blackwell - A classical songstress from DC. Great pipes. The only one of the lot who was able to put down her microphone and still fill the auditorium with her voice. I liked her.
- Joel Grey - This was a song and dance theater guy - ya'know the cane, top hat, and all. Totally not my stuff. The lyrics of a lot of that stuff really bother me. They're so blunt and plain with nothing left to the imagination. Kinda like someone who shows up at a singles party naked. I was impressed with this guy when I later read that he was born in 1932! Yikes! I hope I can hoof it about a stage like that when I'm in my 70s.
- Johnny Mathis - This guy was surprisingly good. In fact, I'd rate his performance the best of the night. I don't care for his material (glockenspiel should never be added to an already sappy tune), but his delivery was first rate.
- Aretha Franklin - Where to start. She strode on stage every bit the living legend -- entourage and all. She was a large woman, the only one dressed in white, who Will described as looking like "an iceberg drifting onto the stage". A friend of mine once said of Aretha's current voice: "She's a great eight-cylinder engine running on about six-and-a-half." and I'd have to say that was true of the performance she gave. She had a cough or something and wasn't in great form.
Still, none of that mattered. The crowd loved Aretha. I loved Aretha. Hell, I can't imagine anyone not loving Aretha. There's something powerful about witnessing a genuine historical figure in action. Unlike so many celebrity who's fame is an ephemeral product of marketing, Aretha is a genuine talent who will endure. In 100 years she'll still be revered and people will still be listening to her recordings. She alone made the whole night worth it.
