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In 2011, Rolling Stone listed Aretha Franklin as the No. 1 Greatest Singer of All Time, an honor that was long overdue in the eyes of her fans. Since she first hit the scene more than 40 years ago, she has been considered a legend and the living embodiment of soul music. Franklin’s musical and performance style combines a belty, powerhouse, mezzo-soprano sound with a charismatic, almost evangelistic interpretive style reminiscent of James Brown. In fact, she and Brown arguably created this deeply soul-stirring style, which is considered the essential signature sound of R&B. This, combined with an uncanny ability to find songs that suit her voice to perfection, has made her one of those unforgettable, once-in-a-generation singers.
Franklin’s soul and gospel roots came from a childhood spent singing in her father’s church. By the time she was 18, she was singing for Columbia Records, but it wasn’t until seven years later in 1967, that she hit the charts with “Respect,” “Natural Woman” and “Think.” By the 1960s, she was being dubbed “The Queen of Soul” and throughout the next four decades, Franklin stayed at the top of the profession, with scores of No. 1 singles and a veritable cabinet full of Grammy Awards. In 2012, Legacy Recordings celebrated Franklin’s 70th birthday with “Knew You Were Waiting: The Best of Aretha Franklin 1980-1998.” The album featured 15 of her mega-hits, including duets with Annie Lennox, Elton John, Whitney Houston and others. In recent years, Franklin has had to curtail her tour dates due to health problems. Ticket holders fortunate enough to have seen her in concert say that it’s one of the all-time great musical experiences, so it’s a safe bet that once she gets back to the performing arena, she’ll be singing once again to sold out crowds.
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First the orchestra, the prelude, the anticipation, and then, YES! The Queen arrives in all her glory. From the very first note to the last, she ruled. Aretha sang, sang, spoke to her subjects and then sang some more. Left to await her return.
The concert was wonderful - a few concerns. First it started over 20 minutes late without any sort of explanation or apology. I found that very unprofessional. Second, Ms Franklin needs to give some very serious consideration to her health. She is so overweight that she could barely walk a few feet without assistance. We want to hear that magnificent voice for many years to come. Third, I don't know what the Brazilian Carnaval dancers and "yellers" had to do with the show. Just have an intermission and let people leave to take care of business. That part of the show was distracting and silly. Fifth - why was it necessary to introduce every celebrity in the audience (most of whom promptly left after they took their bows)? and Sixth - Ms. Franklin is the first performer I have ever seen who had a very burly gentleman bring her purse on and off stage and place it under the piano each and every time she entered or exited the stage. Overall the concert was good - just some very strange and quirky goings-on.
She's still got it. Amazing voice. Great show. No doubt that she is the Queen!
It was umforgetable! Wish i'd have spent the money and bought better seats!
If Aretha lost 100 lbs and got back in shape, maybe she could perform an entire concert. But, her performance was terrible, the sound system made her voice almost indistinguishable from the band and she was lackluster at best. I suspect she can no longer hit the high notes nor does she have the endurance for more than a song or two at a time. It is a shame. She was the queen in her hey day.
It was fun to see a legend perform. She still has a great voice.
The concert was beyond fabulous. Aretha has a voice like an angel. She had everyone rocking in the aisles. It was the day after the death of Michael Jackson. She went over to her piano and started playing a song and started talking about Michael. The way she did it was beautiful, with such class. Aretha, please come back to L.A. We loved you.
Ms. Aretha was absolutely marvelous! Money well spent. We had great seats and the atmosphere was wonderful. Me and my date truly enjoyed ourselves.
Aretha held the audience in the palm of her hand from the beginning to the end of the concert. She interacted well and was real. I had not seen her in concert and was pleasantly suprised at the emotion generated by her communion with her audience.
Mindblowing fantastic amazing unforgettable Aretha is #1 always.
Aretha Franklin concert @ the H.Bowl was great!!!!! I'll see her all over again, come to see us soon, pls. I heard your music from Peru, it was a dream come true to her in person.
The Queen of Soul did not disappoint. She was excellent, and sang most of my favorites. I was a bit sorry that she did not sing "Natural Woman" or "I Say a Little Prayer", but it's hard to sing all the great ones. The bus to the bowl was quiet and comfortable, and I met some nice folks on the way there.
While it is understandable that Aretha Franklin doesn't have the same energy level that she had 30 years ago the combination of overly large orchestral arrangements and back up singers effectively drowned out Ms. Franklin. Perhaps the sound system at the HB wasn't sophisticated enough to bring out Ms. Franklin's voice. The most disturbing part of the concert was the costume change portion (totally unnecessary) where a "Brazilian Carnivale" troupe attempted to entertain the audience. They were terrible.
The night was beautiful, Aretha was beautiful and always a lady! She made my emotions fly high with that awesome voice of hers.
I have been loving her for years and finally was able to hear her live. If you love soul you have to see her.
This was the best of Aretha's four LA concerts over the past four years. Standouts were the tunes that she normally does not do regularly...... Magnificent old R&B chestnuts like Baby I Love You and I Never Loved A Man and magnificent sole ballads.... Angel, Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing. This was much more down home, and soulful whereas recent concernts had stressed her more pop numbers. The warhorses: Chain of Fools, Think, Respect... were a bit tired. But Freeway of Love was superbly done. Two unfortunate anomalies: The choir for the gospel number, "Old Landmark", did not sing. And she needed a choir, not just the four (excellent backup numbers) And Today I Sing the Blues was too over produced and overarranged. Still, a magnificent show.
We had the best time at the Hollywood Bowl, Aretha Franklin was AMAZING !! We took the bus ( for the first time, as we usually drive ) it was easy, no worries on the parking. Then we took a picnic dinner, such a beautful night...and Aretha was great. We will do this again VERY soon ! One of the best things about LA is the Hollywood Bowl !
We were very disappointed with the performance of Ms. Franklin. The show only lasted for an hour with a big intermission. Moreover, it took the 3 first songs for her voice to get "right". Maybe she was just tired on that night, but we left before the end...
I love it especially her gospel and blues songs. Cant wait until she comes back to the Hollywood Bowl
Incredible concert. Aretha gave 200 percent. She's still got it. What a fantastic evening it was.
