In my last post, I promised more amazing live music memories to come. There have been so many great shows throughout Monterey County over the last decade, it's difficult to ensure nothing's forgotten. But I'm trying my best.
Mavis Staples at Sunset Center, Carmel - 2015:
"March for freedom's highway/ March each and every day," Mavis Staples belted out.
Staples' performance of "Freedom Highway" marked the most powerful segment of the Grammy Award-winning singer's 90-minute, two-set sold out show at Carmel's Sunset Center, a day before Martin Luther King Day.
The then 73-year-old R&B icon broke away from the tune midway to address the audience, while her five-piece band played softly in the background.
"Pops Staples [Mavis' father and Staple Singers' leader] was inspired to write this song in 1965 after the march," Staples began. "The big march, from Selma to Montgomery."
"I was also there," she said like a preacher delivering a sermon at her childhood church in Chicago's South Side. "And I'm still here! I'm still fighting!"
"I'm a soldier," Staples continued. "I'm a solider of love, y'all! I'm fighting for hope! I'm fighting for all of us to come together, y'all!"
Staples' delivered a gospel-coated cover of Buffalo Springfield's 1960s anthem "For What it's Worth" and a funky, good-time rendition of Funkadelic's Maggot Brain classic "Can You Get To That."
An entrancing 20-minute "I'll Take You There," which took up most of the second set, brought the house to its feet. Staples scatted, danced, testified, flirted with audience members, and the wide grin on her face was contagious.
"I want you to leave here feeling good!" she said. "I want you to leave here full of joy, happiness and positive vibrations!"
"Why haven't I been [to Carmel] before?" the singer asked the audience. "What took you so long?"
An open invitation: Once this pandemic is under control, I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd be thrilled to have you return, Ms. Staples!
The Tallest Man on Earth at the Henry Miller Library, Big Sur - 2010:
Here's what Henry Miller Library director Magnus Toren had to say about the fellow Swede:
“Here is a young American songwriter—deeply rooted in some Appalachian vernacular—to pay attention to. When I found out that he was from Sweden, and that he’d been to the U.S. only after he recorded, I was in disbelief. I heard and saw him on our stage and all I could say was: ‘If this is what globalization is, I like it!’”
Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Henry Miller Library, Big Sur - 2011:
It was a huge coup: The Chili Peppers' performance for a few hundred lucky people in Big Sur was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that didn't disappoint.
The hush-hush show under the redwoods was considered a warmup prior to the band's world tour in support of I’m With You (the show even made it into a Rolling Stone cover story on the Peppers).
Rick Rubin, renowned music producer of many Peppers' albums and a lot of other nuggets, was also on hand. Beloved RHCP's bassist Flea, a longtime Big Sur homeowner, announced mid-show: “Anybody who knows where I live, now’s a good time to rob me because you know I’m here.”
Charles Bradley at Monterey County Fairgrounds, Monterey - 2017:
Sixty-eight-year-old Charles Bradley shed his jacket and shirt, unearthing a sleeveless silver sequin number. Then, he hoisted his mic stand high above his 3-inch afro like the Hercules of soul music. The first day of the Monterey International Pop Festival 50-Year Celebration June 16-18, 2017, officially blasted off when Bradley & His Extraordinaires tore through a nonstop whirlwind of originals and covers under a brilliant blue afternoon sky at the Monterey County Fairgrounds.
When the “Screaming Eagle of Soul” dove into a sweat-soaked rendition of Otis Redding’s “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember,” he gave the audience – a blend of baby boomers and younger fans – a glimpse of what it may have felt like 50 years earlier, when Redding himself sprinkled his unforgettable brand of Memphis soul on thousands of awestruck ears in the very same venue. Bradley followed with Redding’s gospel-tinged “Pain in My Heart.” He closed his eyes tightly, revealing every heartfelt expression line chiseled into his face.
“Where can my baby be?” Bradley crooned. “Lord, no one knows.”
Just three months after his cosmic display of soul at its most passionate, the singer died of stomach cancer. About five months after Redding hooked the hippie generation on Memphis soul, his life ended at 26 in a plane crash.
Fleet Foxes at the Henry Miller Library, Big Sur - 2011:
Since Fleet Foxes first played in Big Sur at the Spirit Garden a few years before this show, the bearded, Seattle-based youngsters had been on a rapid ascent in the music world. They returned to perform a dynamite sold-out show at the Henry Miller Library. Little did we know, a very lengthy hiatus would soon follow.
Uncut editor Allan Jones wrote that the band’s self-titled debut “showed impeccable musicianship.” The folky, Beach Boys-inspired album—rich with celestial harmonies and fairytale lyrics—received praise from every media outlet across the board. As a result, there was definitely a lot riding on their sophomore LP Helplessness Blues. But Frontman Robin Pecknold’s songwriting seems to get better. By the time you reach the end of all 12 songs on the record, a soothing sense of satisfaction shoots up and down the spine.
Expect more of Monterey County's best shows in recent years to be showcased. So, to be continued...
Comments