Mavis Staples and Friends - 11/19/14, Auditorium Theatre, Chicago

[Albert Tatlock]

"Wilco auteur Jeff Tweedy, who produced her previous two albums, appeared with drummer-son Spencer Tweedy to perform “You Are Not Alone.” (“My producer!” “My grandson!” Staples said of both.) She and the elder Tweedy elegantly blended their voices for their dual vocals, creating the evening’s first moment of musical gravity."

 

http://entertainment.suntimes.com/entertainment-news/review-mavis-staples-saves-mavis-staples-tribute-auditorium-theatre/

 

- a mixed review of the logistics of the event, which were being filmed.

 

Setlist taken from here: http://radio.com/2014/11/20/mavis-staples-tribute-concert-review-arcade-fire-bonnie-raitt-aaron-neville-eric-church-jeff-tweedy/

 

Joan Osbourne, “You’re Driving Me (to the Arms of a Stranger)”
Keb Mo, “Heavy Makes you Happy”
Otis Clay, “I Ain’t Raisin’ No Sand”
Buddy Miller, “Woke Up this Morning (With My Mind on Jesus)”
Patty Griffin, “Waiting for My Child To Come Home”
Emmylou Harris, “Far Celestial Shore”
Michael McDonald, “Freedom Highway”
Glen Hasnard, “People Get Ready”
Aaron Neville with Mavis Staples, “Respect Yourself”
Widespread Panic, “Hope in a Hopeless World”
Widespread Panic, “For What It’s Worth”
Ryan Bingham, “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me)”
Grace Potter, “Grandma’s Hands”
Bingham, Potter, Griffin, Harris, “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall”
Eric Church, “Eyes on the Prize”
Taj Mahal, “Wade in the Water”
Gregg Allman, “Have a Little Faith”
Bonnie Raitt with Staples, “Turn Me Around”
Raitt, Staples, Mahal, Allman, Neville, “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”
Win Butler and Regine Chassagne of Arcade Fire with Staples, “Slippery People”
Jeff and Spencer Tweedy with Staples, “You’re Not Alone”
Staples, “I’ll Take You There”
Staples and the entire cast, “The Weight”

[Cold as Gasoline]

Greg Kot did a similar review:  http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/chi-mavis-staples-birthday-concert-20141119-column.html

 

The set changes really did kill the pace, and the roster was so insanely deep, that it really could have used some pruning (who called the 80s and asked Michael McDonald and Joan Osborne to show up?)  I could have used about 10 more Bonnie Raitt songs and zero Eric Church.  

 

On the plus side, I adored the funky Talking Heads cover Mavis did with Win and Regine from Arcade Fire -- Mavis and Regine dancing together was a hoot.  Taj Mahal's got a great sound and big stage presence too.  Jeff and Mavis did a sweet version of "You Are Not Alone" with Spencer on drums, but also would have loved a little "Only the Lord Knows" rocking.  As a guy sitting near me up in the nosebleed setion said, "Well, it will make a great DVD!"

[bböp]

It might look good when it gets edited together, but it was kind of plodding to actually be there because of all the moving parts. I thought Jeff and Spencer got the worst slot of the night. I mean, how do you have them come out and do You Are Not Alone right after the disco-boogie of Slippery People and right before the climactic I'll Take You There? I know they're hometown heroes and all that, but unfortunately they kind of got lost in the shuffle IMHO. That said, it was cool to see Jeff, Patty Griffin and Emmylou Harris gathered around one mike for The Weight.

[LouieB]

Worst stage craft ever!!!!!

 

This show was not billed as a film set, but as a concert. We were used as props for the film and funders for the eventual show. Disgraceful.  Luckily most of the performances were pretty good.  I say pretty good because there were some less than stellar performances a mix of artists that I could not figure out what they were doing there.  They missed many opportunities to let the performers be on the stage at the same time (Emmylou and Buddy Miller) (Taj Mahal and Keb Mo) (Otis Clay and Aaron Neviile etc.)  By the final encore of The Weight the place was half full.  There was plenty of opportunity for between set narration. 

 

I was not going to go to this, but a friend had a ticket (which I paid for). Ticket sales were slow because of the high prices and there were folks sitting right next to each other that paid half of what the other person paid.  Were this not for Mavis it would not have been worth it and as usual she did a master class, when allowed, to show everyone how it was done. 

 

I must say it is sad to see such figures as Taj Mahal, Aaron Nevile, and Greg Allman become as frail as they are.  But Mavis was in rare form.  The younger performers were sometimes overshadowed by the house bands.  I guess I am glad I went but did not need to spend four hours on what could have been a tight and incredible two and a half hour show.  Also the prohibition against taking pictures was not announced at the beginning and it was left to ushers to try and enforce it unsuccessfully. 

 

Had I known I was going to The Last Waltz (none of the performances was at that caliber including Tweedy) I would have been more prepared, but Marty Scorsese was nowhere in sight.  I saw Stevie Wonder a week earlier and the cost and time was much better spent.  Looking forward to the Flat Five tonight (lucky Kelly Hogan did get to be in some of the sets though) and watch a show where people actually seem to care about what they are doing.  Many of the performers last night seemed to be going through the motions.

 

LouieB

[LouieB]

I agree with Paul (who I did not see because maybe he was on the main floor), but holding Tweedy to the end was disrespectful and only giving him one song when that other rock group got two for no discernible reason. 

 

LouieB

[Cold as Gasoline]

It might look good when it gets edited together, but it was kind of plodding to actually be there because of all the moving parts. I thought Jeff and Spencer got the worst slot of the night. I mean, how do you have them come out and do You Are Not Alone right after the disco-boogie of Slippery People and right before the climactic I'll Take You There? I know they're hometown heroes and all that, but unfortunately they kind of got lost in the shuffle IMHO. That said, it was cool to see Jeff, Patty Griffin and Emmylou Harris gathered around one mike for The Weight.

 

When the Arcade Fire thing was going on I recalled having heard Jeff say the worst gig Wilco ever played was when they had to follow Arcade Fire.  And it happened again!

[bböp]

When the Arcade Fire thing was going on I recalled having heard Jeff say the worst gig Wilco ever played was when they had to follow Arcade Fire.  And it happened again!

 

Yeah, it wasn't quite that extreme this time but I could just imagine Jeff in the wings thinking, "Damn, I have to follow this?" Maybe if they were doing something a little more uptempo like Only The Lord Knows it would have been OK, but You Are Not Alone was just a tough one in that slot.