On a night when millions of people watched a group of singing idol wannabes and their critics work out on television, the real deal ruled the Majestic Theatre. Tuesday night the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin proved, in front of a full house, why she's the Queen.
Franklin was backed by a powerhouse supporting cast of 25, including a 10-piece horn section staffed by local and area players, four percussionists, three keyboard players, four backing vocalists, guitar, bass, drums and music director H.
B. Barnum.
But it was Franklin's voice, and her personality, that had the crowd on its feet clapping, dancing and cheering for much of the 90-minute set.
Clad in a fancy beige caftan, Franklin took the stage to a standing ovation and led with her smash hit Respect followed by (You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman and the rousing Think before shifting gears to Curtis Mayfield's serious Something He Can Feel and back to Chain of Fools.
Instead of getting restless and mindlessly yelling for the hits, the crowd, to its everlasting credit, hung on every note. It's hard not to hang on every Aretha Franklin note.
Her ballads, including Angel and Ain't No Way, were things of beauty. Franklin drew out endings, performed voice-altering microphone manipulation and showed off vocal gymnastics. When attempted by rookie singers, those are annoying.
When done by Franklin, they're integral parts of the songs, point, counterpoint and exclamation point.
Franklin even tried out a couple of new songs, including one during which she played piano, from an upcoming album called Aretha: A Woman Falling Out of Love. The classic-style soul was met with the same applause as the hits.
Franklin honored her gospel roots with a powerful version of One Night With the King and closed out the night with the roaring Freeway of Love, which included a detour into gospel. The Queen of Soul sent her subjects home happy.
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