Etta James’ sex bomb explodes in a climactic Chicago set

April 30, 2009, at House of Blues

By Selena Fragassi
Published: May 3rd, 2009 | 8:40am

At 71 years of age, Etta James can still bring it. In an hour-and-a-half-long set that covered a full career revue of classic soul, blues, and pop standards, James showed Chicago who was head of the House of the Blues.

After the drum-roll of the three-song starter set by the eight-piece Roots Band, James was finally introduced as “the one, the only, the legendary, Grammy Award–winning Ms. Etta James” to a standing ovation, a fitting reception for one of the greatest living legends and winner of four Grammys and 17 blues awards, and the inductee in numerous halls of fame.

Although she had trouble walking to the chair reserved for her at the center of the stage, a trimmed down James made up for her physical strength with vocal power and personality overload that punctuated each song. Dressed in a flashy sequined outfit, James’ true diva behavior was on display with naught a moment that she wasn’t gyrating, thumb sucking, panting, or grabbing all of her bits and pieces as she ramped up a surprising sexual fever in her newly minted golden years. Maybe because of her age, James is more comfortable in her own skin, in spite of the awkwardness of having her two sons play behind her.

Opening with “Come to Mama,” a rock-infused track that paired her deep, sensual register with the amplified power of her male backing band, James moved through decades of sounds and styles: “All the Way Down” featured the summertime sounds of the barrio and impressively showed the way James can roll her “r’s,” while the soulful “Damn Your Eyes” showed her dominating trait before a solo version of “A Lover is Forever” showcased a softness that caved in with vulnerability.

The only mention of her long, chaotic life was on “I Want to Ta-Ta You Baby,” the song she wrote with Johnny “Guitar” Watson, whom James claimed was one of her most influential forces and someone she literally grew up with, as they toured together as teenagers. Although James swore to the crowd she never “ta-ta’ed” with Watson, the song reeked of wanderlust pheromones and yesteryear innocence as she sang, “I’m thinking about your sweet kisses and your, uhhh…”

Although the entertainment of the show’s beginning was a twisted treat, it was the finale that was truly stunning with a gripping cover of Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart” and, at last, a jazzy cabaret version of her most famous song fresh from her April appearance on Dancing with the Stars that closed the first set. When James returned for a short encore, it was a blend of funk and blues, which led her to steal someone’s shades just to complete the character.

It was moments such as this that might give some insight into why James made news for being so salaciously upset with Beyonce’s performance of her in the recent film Cadillac Records, because James made it clear that there is no one who could ever replace her on the stage.
--
For more photos from this show visit Venus Zine’s Flickr page