A cry of “hallelujah” rang out from the back of the packed Alix Gooldin Performance Hall on Saturday, April 5, as Sharon Jones shouted to the crowd that she had to testify. And indeed she did.
From the moment Jones and her band, the Dap Kings, entered the room, they were on a mission to educate the audience on why you don’t mess with Miss Sharon Jones.
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings are back on the road after a break, due to Jones taking time off to “kick cancer’s ass.” While the signs of her battle may remain (her long, full hair is now slowly growing back after chemotherapy), you’d never know she’d been diagnosed less than a year ago.
As Jones taught the audience to dance (and, no, there was no twerking), she took it back to the ’60s, the era that inspires the style, look, feel, and even the recording of their music. From the funky chicken to the twist and the bugaloo, it felt like you were time traveling back to the performances that gave way to the funk/soul masters like Tina Turner and James Brown.
For anyone doubting Jones’ ability to bounce back following time off, she proved why she’s the modern-day queen of soul when she pulled an audience member on stage with her and the two proceed to dance back and forth in a style that mirrored classic episodes of Soul Train. But as they dipped and jived, the entertaining and energetic dance caused the audience member’s pants to split.
So many performances now capitalize on access to technology and production, but Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings used the tried and tested tools for great music: talent, personality, and perfect synchronicity. Despite battling with issues with their sound monitors, the 10 musicians that make up the acclaimed act didn’t miss a beat.
With nearly every audience member dancing in the aisles and pews, it wasn’t hard to imagine that guitarist Binky Griptite’s statement that the band was going to tear the old building down might come true. The band didn’t quit as they blew through an extensive encore, ushered in by the stomping and cheers of the enamored crowd.
Good performances come and go; they become names you remember seeing some time ago, but when it comes to artists like Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, they aren’t simply good performances. They are legendary. They make you question how the music industry puts manufactured talent on a pedestal, while women and musicians like Jones and her band work for years to slowly step in to the spotlight.
Jones has been working on her career since she was a young girl, but it wasn’t until the Dap Kings formed in 2006, with Jones as their leading lady, that she finally got the recognition she deserves. It’s too bad it took so long, but the music world is richer because of talent like this.