Al Green

House of Blues, Chicago

Photo Courtesy of algreenmusic.com

The House of Blues in Chicago is a legendary venue, intimate and artsy this concert hall and restaurant attracts all kinds of musicians and music lovers.  Decorated with religious symbols from around the world surrounding the slogan "Unity in Diversity: Who do you Love?", the proscenium over the stage celebrates the diversity the venue embodies.    Under this gorgeous arch, Saturday April 1, 2006 Al Green held the second of two concerts, giving a full house the soulful night of their lives.

Local blues and soul guitarist Nicholas Barron opened for Al Green performing both original pieces and cover songs.  He soloed but delivered a full, gritty sound that warmed the audience for the rest of the night.  Moving from electric to acoustic guitar, he filled out his own vocals with vocal percussion and even whistling making a unique sound all his own.  He sang I'm not Superman, This Bus, and covered songs from other artists like the Shrek piece Hallelujah and Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire.  After 45 minutes of grinding blues and soul, he turned the stage over to the headliner act.

 

As the curtain opened to the expected R&B Motown-type band, the audience in the standing room only house roared.  Al Green took the stage tossing roses to the crowd, which he continued to do all night.  About four songs into the set, he slowed the pace and the audience saw the songster turn to storyteller.  In his inimitable way, he sang Amazing Grace adding his own verse about his childhood.  He sang about watching his mother get up in the morning, and he didn't know where she would go.  He followed her outside to see her, hands raised to the sky, singing Nearer My God to Thee.  The audience, whether church folk or not, were wrapped in the story.  He sang Love and Happiness, a medley of Motown hits, and in a brilliant moment sang arguably the best break-up song ever:  For the Good Times.  "Lay your head upon my pillow..." and the audience sang right along.  He followed that with How Can You Mend a Broken Heart. 

 

After over an hour of mind-blowing music, he left the stage amid cheers and applause.  What the audience didn't realise was that when Al said 'Goodnight', he meant it.  The crowd waited...wanting to be convinced that Al had left the building.  He left us knowing... Chicago did it right.