Aretha Franklin performs at the Music Center at Strathmore. (Josh Sisk/For The Washington Post)
Eric Conway, D.M.A. writes on May 14, 2015:
See review of concert with Aretha Franklin last night. Morgan Choir is mentioned.
The voice is no longer as big as the legend. Then again, legends don’t come much bigger than Aretha Franklin.
Franklin’s
show Wednesday at the Music Center at Strathmore had a start so rough
that only the biggest of legends could get past it. She arrived onstage
not only long after the announced start time, but also more than 20
minutes after the house lights had gone dark and her 23-member backing
orchestra had been seated. The players sat looking bored and embarrassed
while the crowd tried to draw Franklin out front with rhythmic clapping
or restless shouts. Any movement from the back incited anxious applause
from the fans who thought this time it might be Franklin; one of the
ovation receivers turned out to be a valet carrying Franklin’s
hilariously monstrous purse, which he placed beside the only slightly
larger Steinway grand piano. Strathmore staffers complained openly to
patrons about the, um, dis-R.E.S.P.E.C.T. the performer was showing.
When she finally showed, Franklin made no acknowledgment of the
inconsiderations she had heaped upon her flock.
Diva means never having to say you’re sorry.
***
She
brought out a choir from Morgan State University to back her on a long,
preachy version of “Higher Ground,” a gospel tune she recorded in 1987.
In between verses, Franklin gave a sermon/monologue crediting the man
upstairs for curing her of ailments that in recent years caused her to
be a regular no-show at scheduled concerts. “All you got to do is just
believe!” she hollered, and the fans responded with a joyful noise of
their own. It was as if Franklin wanted the audience to know that,
despite her behavior earlier in the evening, she is convinced there’s a
power higher than herself.
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