I might as well get this over with from the start. The sound was terrible. Like a church hall, all boom and echo and fuzz. It completely ruined Candi Staton’s set and all but did the same to Al Green’s. Queuing up at the end to complain, I got talking to someone doing the same who told me he had had the same problem at Simply Red (I pass no comment) last year. It would take a phenomenal legend to get me back to the RAH for anything other than classical music, which I presume is what the acoustics are designed for.
But what a performer the Very Reverend Mr Al Green is, like the bastard love child of Barry White and James Brown (imagine the grunting at the conception!). You couldn’t take your eyes offa him, whether distributing roses for the ladies, jigging about one foot, dropping down on one knee, yelping and moaning. Legend! And a shit hot band.
The weirdest thing here was the crowd. Remarkably warm and friendly (people talked to each other, like strangers and all, imagine that!) but, how can I put it, elephantine? I have never seen so many clinically obese people in one place. I don’t mean overweight, I mean the sort of people you see in a Channel 5 documentary. The sort of people who need to invest in serious pot-holing equipment if they are to even contemplate sexual intercourse. I don’t know how the tubes back to Essex coped! And if you couldn’t get a black cab on Thursday night, this was why, all the cabbies were here (well those that haven’t already disappeared to the Costa del Cab). And gawd help anyone in the City who was trying to get their secretary to do overtime that night, cos they were all here as well. There were even (I heard people saying) several “stars” “out of” (pronounced eht awf) East Enders.
There is something worrying about seeing so many whiteys joining in gospel inflected call and response sessions (can I get a witness!) but in its own way, also something quite lovely (do you believe?!). But boy oh boy, the white man cannot clap to save his sorry little ass.
After I had booked my £50 ticket, I found out that Ms S and Mr G were also appearing at Hammersmith Apollo. It was too late to do anything about it, but I’m sure it would have been a much better venue. Still, legend!
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2 comments:
Are you suggesting that the horizontally challenged shouldn't be allowed to enjoy a little piece of music? Tut tut - where's your compassion?
I am merely noting the preponderance of such at this gig. Subject to health and safety concerns, I have no problem per se. In fact it's quite nice to know that they can still haul themselves off the sofa once in a while.
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