Homer's Travels: Music: Al Green w/ The Mynabirds

Monday, August 02, 2010

Music: Al Green w/ The Mynabirds

So I got to start with what happened the last time I went to an Al Green concert.  You see, I've been to two of his shows.

The first time was a Friday night some six or seven years ago.  It was at the Greek Theater in LA.  The Greek is an open air amphitheater.  We get there, find our seats, the sun goes down, the temperature gets a little on the chilly side, the show starts, and ... I fall asleep.  I slept through most of the show.  The Wife won't let me forget that fact.

So, 2010.  Sunday night.  Al Green plays to a packed crowd at the Stir Cove, an open air, grassy, amphitheater.  It's warm and muggy but a breeze makes things bearable.  The warm-up band, a local band called The Mynabirds, does a good set.  Their lead singer has a pretty good voice but the songs don't grab me.  I yawn a bit by the end.

A brief intermission and Al Green comes on and puts on a show.  The Wife enjoyed it a lot.  I wasn't as thrilled.  I have to say that my eyes closed a few times but I really didn't sleep this time around.  I wasn't impressed with his set.  He did a medley of his good stuff (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch, Can't Take My Eyes Off You, Let's Stay Together, and several more), each lasting thirty to sixty seconds each.  If he's done the full lengths of these songs and did a medley of the songs that he actually sang, I think I would have really enjoyed the concert.

His backup singers were his daughters, and they were pretty good.  One thing I found odd was that Al Green only sang about half the lyrics with his daughters and the audience singing the rest.  Maybe it's just his way on engaging the audience.  I suppose it could also be his age.  He is sixty-four and his style of singing needs a lot of energy.

So I can't say I enjoyed it much.  I did enjoy the company as the Wife's Brother and Sister-in-law, TE and JA, went with us.  I always enjoy it when we do thing with them.

One last note.  The Stir Cove allows photography as long as you can't change lens.  I guess that's their prerogative.  I wish I'd known and I would have taken my Canon S5.  Instead I got no pictures.

3 comments:

  1. Sounds like a pretty cool show. That is, though, just about the oddest photography restriction I've heard of...

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  2. Hm, I'm not sure I would have bought a ticket to this show, but I enjoyed reading about it!

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  3. GH: Tt's the second time I've heard about it(first time told to me). It seems to be a compromise to the no photos crowd and people with cell phone cameras.

    Miss McC: It's a generational thing I suspect. I went because the Wife is a fan.

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