REVIEW
What: Mavis Staples with Ariel Pocock
When: Friday
Where: Royal Theatre
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)
Mavis Staples has played Victoria concerts in the past, but it feels like there’s a new reason to celebrate every time she arrives.
Staples, 77, was full of surprises Friday night. Her sold-out appearance at the Royal Theatre was part history of rock ’n’ roll, part state of the union address. It was political. It was personal. And it was powerful.
She was a firecracker between songs, too. That didn’t come as a surprise considering Staples is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member for her work with the Staple Singers, who got their start in black churches in the 1950s and rose to prominence during civil rights protests in the 1960s.
“We’ve come this evening to bring you some happiness! Some joy! And some positive vibrations!” Staples said.
The Chicago-based singer was like a lit stick of dynamite on If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me), which got her TD Victoria International Jazz Festival set underway in soulful style. And she was laid-back on both Respect Yourself, one of her best-known songs with the Staple Singers, and a spiritual cover of the Band’s The Weight.
Through all the tempos and turns, she showcased a voice that wears its age with grace. You simply couldn’t take your eyes off the singer nor could you escape the authenticity in her voice.
When she led the audience through a call-and-response version of Freedom Road, a protest song written by her father, Pops Staples, in 1962, she became emotional.
“When the spirit hits you, you gotta move! You gotta make some noise!” she shouted.
The singer, nicknamed Bubbles for her personality, told a funny story about seeing a float plane for the first time on the Inner Harbour, and thinking it had crashed. Staples ran to tell her bandmates, who had a laugh at her expense.
“That was a first,” she said of what she thought was a plane crash. “You could imagine! This old girl? My god!”
The night began with a very appealing set by Ariel Pocock, a strong and charismatic performer with an active voice and outgoing demeanour.
“I’m from North Carolina, but maybe I could be an honorary Canadian?” she asked, to heavy applause from the crowd. “It’s a little rough down there.”
The Durham singer-songwriter-pianist cut a smooth groove during her 45-minute set, falling somewhere between Norah Jones and Ella Fitzgerald on some songs. She and her two bandmates (both excellent) covered Cole Porter and Kate and Anna McGarrigle, while handling their own on Pocock’s original songs from her two releases on Canada’s Justin Time label.
Staples was backed by a sinewy rock band, one that featured backup vocals from Burnaby’s Donny Gerrard, former lead singer of the group Skylark (which featured several Victoria musicians, including David Foster).
Each member carried their weight, but the creative playing of guitarist and bandleader Rick Holmstrom was noteworthy.
The church-like atmosphere reached its apex during I’ll Take You There, which stretched to 10 minutes. Staples didn’t take a breather at any point during the song, proudly stating her ability to play even longer.
“We’ve been taking you there for 67 years, and I’m not tired yet.”
After seeing her perform Friday, I don’t doubt it one bit.
