Al Green giving his love to the crowd at Ottawa's 2009 Jazz Festival (Pam McLennan/The Epoch Times)
Looking sharp in a three piece suit and his trademark bouquet of red roses that he tossed to his fans throughout the set, Green sang as well as I have heard him. What made the Reverend so great wasn’t just the vocals, the dance moves that take you back to the 60s, or his signature falsetto that had the crowd cheering every time he hit a high note—it was the tight group of musicians he has assembled for the tour.
Each one is a master in his own right and Green paid them their dues. He took most of the night to intro the players to the audience, one or two per song, and gave them a chance to shine. With Dave Stewart on sax, bass guitarist Barry Campbell, Stacey Weyans on keyboard or “piano” as Green called it, and Jimmy in his gangsta hat playing lead guitar, the group moved from song to song as smooth as butter melting on a pancake stack.
“I’m in Ottawa and I feel at home here,” said Green. “We are children; we believe in Jesus Christ.” He then had the audience chant, “God is good—all the time” like he might while conducting a service at his home church in Memphis.
Backup vocals, provided by Green’s daughters the Green Sisters, were strong, as they helped keep the show moving along and the interest level of the crowd on sizzle. Two backup dancers—and some dancing musicians—added to the overall joy, and everyone on stage seemed to be having a lot of fun.
The first song he sang from his 2008 album was “Lay it Down” and Green, in his doin’ it his way style, took it to the limit by lying on the stage and kicking his feet in the air—roses in hand and never missing a note.
The crowd was there to hear the old faves as well as the new stuff and he didn’t disappoint. “Stay with Me,” “I’m So In love With You,” “Everything Is Gonna Be Alright,” and of course “Tired of Being Alone,” his first gold single. He was down on one knee when he hit that famous high note in “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.”
True to his gospel roots Green started singing Amazing Grace—the audience sang as much as he did—and then he let the Green Sisters take over. The Reverend came back in and at the end, with that voice soaring over the band and the crowd, stood with his hands over his head as if clasped in prayer. Quite a sight.
His medley of Motown hits that was all too short included “Here I am Baby,” “My Girl,” “I Been Lovin’ You Too Long,” the Sam Cooke classic “Wonderful World,” Otis Reading’s “Dock of the Bay,” and “You Are Everything.”
“Some people wonder if the Reverend still got it,” he said. “YES!” yelled the audience.
Undeniably, the Reverend has still got it. What a show. He closed with “Love and Happiness,” reflecting just what some of us were feeling for the pop, blues, and gospel icon.
