Aretha Franklin
by opinionexpress on 7/16/09Hollywood Bowl - HollywoodA living legend. A true diva. It was wonderful to finally see her after listening to her large repertoire which encompasses decades.
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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.
A living legend. A true diva. It was wonderful to finally see her after listening to her large repertoire which encompasses decades.
Fantastic! What an amazing voice, as always! I didn't get the connection, however, with the samba group at intermission and the queen of soul?
Aretha can still bring it home. After a long awaited return to the Bowl - she performed her old and new music to the delight of young and old hearts alike. The night was perfect - her band and backup singers were amazing.
When we heard that the Queen of Soul was coming to the Hollywood Bowl after 30 years we jumped at the chance. We were not disappointed and enjoyed every moment. The Bowl is always a wonderful venue and the LA Philharmonic and Ms Franklin and her band played and sang their hearts out all night. The evening was filled with special guests and at times I felt like we were having church!! There was some Holy Ghost goings on too! Really a special night that we won't soon forget.
She started a bit sore and for a moment it seemed that the night was ruined. However, she came back for the second half and her voice was just unbelievable.
Aretha sounded in good form and an entertaining concert. Unfortunately, I believe she was wearing real fur in both her costumes. Disappointed that she did not do "Say a Little Prayer" , "Natural Woman," and a couple other goodies, and instead did a lot of obscure stuff that, let's face it, no one wanted to hear. Also, did not get the Rio ladies towards the end, prancing around, and seemed not to fit in with the show.
The Queen of soul was everything I thought she would be. I knew she couldn't do all of her songs, even though she was on stage for 1.5 hours, but what she did was wonderful. This was my first time seeing her but I will go again if and when I get the chance.
Aretha gave her all. This will be a night I remember always. She is the queen of soul and deserves that title. Long live the queen!
Aretha displayed a wide range of musical styles all woven together with her awesome voice. She still brings it after all these years.
Concert was ok but spoilt by people getting up and down for food and drink I think its disrespectful to the artist. Aretha sounded good but was a little dissapointed in her choice of songs.Nessen dormer was a disaster stick to soul Aretha.
THIS WAS BEST CONCERT I HAVE SEEN IN A LONG TIME. ARETHA FRANKLIN, THE BAND , THE MUSIC AND HER BACK UP SINGERS ALL WAS ON TIME. IT WAS AS IF I WAS LISTENING TO MY OLD 45'S. WHEN I SAY, ARETHA FRANKLIN PERFORMED, I MEAN THIS .HER VOICE IS LIKE LISTENING TO ANGELS FROM HEAVEN. ARETHA KEEP IT GIRL!!!!
I don't think I will ever here a version of Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body" like I did when Aretha sang it... Holy Moly! "Touch My Body? Throw ME on the floor? I DON"T THINK SO!"
Aretha was on fire. She was very energetic and her voice was rock solid. Vrey humble and glad to play in Detroit. Aretha was amazing playing the piano.
Aretha Franklin is truely the Queen of Soul. She was simply outstanding and unforgetable. She was gracious and still has it. Miss. Franklin put on a great performance and she was outtsight on the piano. I am so glad I had the privilege of seeing her live on stage and I was up close also. I truely had a wonderful evening with Miss Franklin.
Well worth my time and money. The Queen was into it and performed like the superstar that she is. She knew her audience wanted to hear the standard Aretha song and she did deliver. There were times when I thought the audio was not calibrated at its best. All in all, I am glad I was there.
Seeing Aretha perform reminds you why she is called, "The Queen". All other divas out there are mere pretenders to the throne.
I truly enjoyed this concert! Ms. Franklin's voice is still clear and strong, and stayed true to the sound of several hits that she made famous years ago. I appreciated her tasteful, yet brief tribute to Michael Jackson, and I also enjoyed the brief tribute to Dinah Washington. I was really glad that neither of those acknowledgements were long and drawn out, because I paid my money to hear Aretha sing her own songs! I was pleasantly surprised that she sang so many songs (approx. 20+), and that she only took a 10-minute break to change gowns. I had never heard of Michael Brock, but he did a nice job, too. My only complaints - I think the floor in the Fox Theater had been recently painted, so everyone's feet kept sticking to the floor. Also, I wished that they would have continued to sell the keepsake programs after the concert; there was such a crowd when we were entering the theater, that we decided to wait until we came out. Unfortunately, the counter where the programs were being sold was shut down.
The Queen of Soul was simply amazing and look real good too!
I FLEW 23 HS FROM BUENOS AIRES TO DETROIT, JUST TO BE THERE. I WOULD DO IT AGAIN, IF NECESSARY. THAT' S A FAN,!!!!.
Aretha was absolutely wonderful. She performed very well, and her stage presence was exceptional.