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Etta James w/ Johnny A. |
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O'Shaughnessy Auditorium
St. Paul, Minnesota
06.26.02 |
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review by Ann Wickstrom
The College of St. Catherine rolled out the red carpet for singer Etta James as part of its "Women of Substance" concert series. James' fans—a seasoned, mostly middle aged crowd—arrived in droves at the auditorium. It was clear from their pre-concert chatter that many of them had been-here-done-this before; they knew what to expect, and each hoped to hear his or her favorites as they eagerly anticipated the arrival of their queen.
What most were not aware of was the five-alarm wake up call they were about to get from opener Johnny A. This Boston-area guitarist plays instrumental music and travels with just a drummer and bassist. Perched on a stool beside a stick of burning incense—as is his custom—Johnny A. proceeded to peel the paint off the venue's walls, as he unleashed material from his utterly fantastic debut solo CD, Sometime Tuesday Morning. From country-spiked, fast-paced frolics through originals "Up In The Attic" and "Tex Critter" to funky covers of Willie Cobbs' "You Don't Love Me" and Chuck Berry's "Memphis," Johnny had eyebrows elevating all over the place. The guitarist summoned up hauntingly beautiful tones from deep within his Les Paul on the new record's title track, the sound growing more intriguing with each new phrase as it drifted eerily from left speaker to right and back again.
Johnny's wonderfully plaintive reading of "Wichita Lineman" preceded an over-the-top, extended version of Jimmy Forrest's jazz classic, "Night Train," which marked a real turning point in the set and had anyone with half an ear on the edge of his or her seat. Johnny's incredible tone really shone through on a song slated for his next release, the bluesy, slow and seductive "Krea Gata." "In The Wind," a heavily percussive original that would sound right at home as the theme song to a shoot-‘em-up western, then drew a huge response from the crowd. After playing the first single from Tuesday Morning, a toe-tappin', finger-snappin' little ditty called "Oh Yeah," Johnny bid adieu to St. Paul with a Hendrix medley. Although "Voodoo Chile" is covered by musicians the world over, Johnny A.'s untouchable delivery of the song is so savagely wicked it could easily inspire panic among his peers. Guitar fans: run—don't walk—if you get a chance to see Johnny A. A beautiful thing awaits you.
It can't be easy to follow an act like that, even for a living legend like Etta James; but it must be even harder for her to have to sing to her fans from a barber's chair. After a few songs from her fine eight-piece backing group (The Roots Band), the curtain was lowered and Etta was wheeled out to her chair. At 64, James' size has apparently become unmanageable. In fact, raising the mic to her mouth seems to be about as physical as she gets these days, clearly making her traditional fanny-shaking a thing of the past.
That said, Etta James still looked sharp, wearing a spangly black and gold pantsuit, her face and silvery hair as striking as always. In concert, she was just as sassy and risqué as ever, going beyond suggestiveness at times. The curtain was barely raised when her faithful began shouting out requests. James listened, answering them with nuggets like "I'd Rather Go Blind," "Stop The Wedding," and "At Last." Although her voice is noticeably deeper and richer than it was when those songs were originally recorded decades ago, James has still got it goin' on in a huge way. Helping her live show soar are the singer's oldest son Danto on drums, as well as youngest son Sametto, who handles bass duties. The band also features a full horn section with the services of sax/harmonica player Jimmy "Z" Zavala, who at one point knelt at James' side and wailed on his harp. To complete the picture, James stroked his hair while ripping through Willie Dixon's "I Just Want To Make Love To You."
At one point, James affectionately recalled her dear departed friend Johnny Guitar Watson, before singing one of his classics, "I Want To Ta-Ta You Baby." Further highlights of the set included "Love And Happiness," "Take Me To The River," and the band's heart-wrenching favorite, "Sugar On The Floor," all of which appear on James' new album, Burnin' Down The House. There was no opportunity for fans to plead for an encore when the curtain was lowered—Etta still sitting in her chair—because the house lights came up immediately. That was all she wrote.
After the show, many of those who parked behind the building saw Etta wheeled down a ramp to one of two immense tour buses, her head bowed, a black towel draped over it. It was obvious that her performance had robbed her of every ounce of energy she could muster. In the end, it was difficult not to be a bit troubled by this sad conclusion to an otherwise delightful evening.
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