Dr. John and the Blind Boys of Alabama played to a less-than-hefty crowd at DeVos Performance Hall on Tuesday, but still delivered “Spirituals to Funk” in often rousing, upbeat fashion.
In everyone’s life a little rain must fall.
On Tuesday, more of that rain than usual fell in Grand Rapids, making a gray autumn day that much drearier.
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But inside the warm confines of DeVos Performance Hall, it was sunshine, blue skies … and piano-powered R&B, blues, jazz, funk and gospel.
That inimitable “Night Tripper” Dr. John supplied much of the soulful, New Orleans-infused keyboard voodoo that’s made him a much-beloved ambassador of The Big Easy.
But the sunny skies, musically speaking, along with spiritual inspiration and the lion’s share of stage energy, were provided by the old yet seemingly ageless Blind Boys of Alabama, who injected the half-full house with more than enough joyful singing to chase any storm clouds away.
Dr. John – garbed in a wine-colored pinstripe suit, necklaces and snazzy fedora with skulls adorning his keyboards – seemed surprisingly subdued and a bit listless on the piano and organ with his five-piece band when the evening began.
But things picked up in terms of audience response as he slipped into his sole Top 40 hit, 1973’s “Right Place Wrong Time,” with the energy level really soaring not long after when he brought the Blind Boys on stage.
“You can’t beat this,” Dr. John croaked with a trademark growl.
Singer Jimmy Carter, who is in his 80s, told the crowd that his three fellow Blind Boys “don’t like to sing to a conservative crowd. They like a noisy crowd.”
No worries there.
The relatively small crowd on hand cheered and hollered for the Blind Boys’ vibrant renditions of “People Get Ready,” “Spirit in the Sky,” “There Will Be A Light,” “Free at Last” and their signature version of “Amazing Grace,” sung to the tune of “House of the Rising Sun,” while Dr. John played sideman.
“I’m not gonna talk too much now because I’m tired,” Carter quipped early on.
Of course, he didn’t fool anybody with that line, impressively holding out raspy screams on more than one song and wandering into the DeVos crowd to shake hands and sing in what’s become a Jimmy Carter concert tradition.
The Blind Boys are a transformative bunch. This is a group that in the space of less than 30 minutes can clear away the rains that swamp human emotions, making an audience feel uplifted and happy. (Read my interview with Carter here.)
Even Dr. John seemed inspired by the Blind Boys’ first of two appearances on stage during the one-hour-and-50-minute show, throwing down sweet piano licks and muscular vocals on “St. James Infirmary” and “Goin’ Back to New Orleans,” which also featured an extended solo by trombonist Sarah Morrow.
It all set the stage for a triumphant, closing duet with Dr. John and the Blind Boys unfurling a slow-cooking, beautiful and swamp-dark “When the Saints Go Marching In” and celebratory “Lay My Burden Down.”
Being paired for the first time on tour with Dr. John for this “Spirituals to Funk” tour should help solidify the stature of this Grammy-winning vocal group by dramatically demonstrating the crucial way that gospel music has fueled the train of contemporary music, especially blues, jazz and R&B.
“People get ready, there’s a train comin’,” the Blind Boys sang at one point. “You don’t need no baggage, just get on board.”
The empty seats at DeVos on Tuesday meant some folks missed the train. But I’m guessing most of those on board went home with a smile.
Email: jsinkevics@gmail.com
Quite possibly the best concert of the year! Jimmy Carter (the only original member of The Five Blind Boys of Alabama still performing?) has more energy, charisma, and charm than any five boys from any state! As always, Sinc’s review says it all!