Al Green in Chapel Hill: No Grits Were Thrown in the Making of this Concert

Al Green is still a bad mamma jamma. He said so himself.

I didn't think I would get to hear Al say anything at all though. As of five o' clock, I didn't have a ticket to Green's sold out show at Memorial Hall on campus here at UNC. Craigslist had people asking for tickets and offering upwards of $100 and they weren't getting tickets. Why would I?

However, this is Chapel Hill, where everything turns out right in the end. You always end up getting those tickets you need here. When Sufjan played the same venue, a guy walked right up and offered three to me in the second row. For free. So I decided to call the Memorial Hall box office and ask if they were going to do a ticket dump tonight. They asked me, "What is a ticket dump?" Things looked bleak. "Where you hold tickets to sell on the night of," I replied. Ends up they had a few tickets left in the orchestra pit - that means in front of row A. Center stage. The pictures in the entry aren't pulled from the web. I took them with my piece of crap camera. Best seats in the house. I bought one at a student price. But things get better. When I was standing around waiting for the show to start and contemplating the possibility of making lots of cash off of my great seat, a scalper came up to me and gave me a ticket. I got in touch with my friend Ella, and she too had the pleasure to see Al Green.

Al Green stepped on stage at 9:18 to a packed house, wearing a tuxedo and glasses. He had a gold star hanging around his neck, and lots of gold chains on his wrists. Here's the setlist:

1. Just Can't Stop
2. Let's Get Married
3. Everything's Gonna Be Allright
4. Amazing Grace
5. Let's Stay Together
6. What Makes the World Go Round
7. Here I am, Come and Get Me
8. R&B Medley: Sugar Pie Honey Bun/If You Ever Change Your Mind About Leaving/My Girl/I've Been Loving You For Too Long/Wonderful World
9. Tired of Being Alone
10. Still in Love With You
11. Love & Happiness

The Reverend's backing band came out before him though, wearing all black, and featured a horn section (one trumpet, one saxophone, one trombone), two guitarists (playing maple strats), a bassists, a keyboard player, an organ player, a drummer, a percussionist, and two backup singers - one of which was Green's daughter, Deborah (or Debra? I don't know). Being up front and center probably had a lot to do with me enjoying things so much. Al's voice wasn't what it was way back, but he could still hit the high notes. The decades on the road doing shows definitely taught Al Green how to work a crowd, and after every high note Green would say, "Now you try to hit that note! Somebody do that!" and then say, "I'm a bad mamma jamma!" By far the most entertaining part of Green's stage presence was the throwing of roses (upwards of two dozen) to the female members of the crowd. When Green would trot down into the aisles, hordes of women, all over forty, would rush towards the singer for roses and hugs. The Reverend knows how to work a crowd, especially if they are older women. Green was helped out throughout the night by two guys in shiny clothes to dance along.

Green's set seemed to alternate, in the beginning, between work the crowd songs and big hits. An entertaining "Let's Get Married" was followed by "Everything's Gonna Be Allright," which was never more than an extended jam. Afterwards, Green said something to the likes of, "I may be a preacher, but I'm still a man," and launched into an alternate version of "Amazing Grace." At one point during the set, there was a guitar solo played by the teeth. By far though, the closer, "Love & Happiness" was the best part of the night. It really is Green's best song in his catalog, and everyone sang along at the top of their lungs on the song we all wanted. After singing the song, Green walked off to a rocking Memorial Hall, and the band was left to go around and do their solos. At one point, the horns all came to the main mike and played the horn riff at the end of the song, which was great. It wasn't the best concert I've been to, but I had a great time. Also, it gave me a chance to make the grits reference in my title. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, you gain my respect.

I'll have a review of the Avett's show soon. I promise.