Akts&Entertainment
■Singer’s performance enchants audience
I McFerrin dazzles participating crowd
tjy uarter van Ken
Staff Reporter
On occasion, a rare and exceptional talent
will grace Lincoln with a memorable perfor
mance. Such was the case at the Lied Center for
Perform ing Arts Saturday night as 3,000 people
experienced the musical genius of Bobby
MeFerrin.
From the moment his dreadlocks-hcadcd,
barefoot, blue jean and T-shirt-clad form took
the stage and bowed deeply, until his final
encore, the audience was enchanted by his
magical presence.
It’s probably not news to many people that
Bobby MeFerrin is an exceptional artist. Most
people can figure that out by listening to his
recorded work. But to really appreciate his
gcnius,onchastoscehimalonconstage—one
voice stripped of the technology of the record
ing studio.
What can one man do alone on stage for an
hour and 45 minutes? For MeFerrin, there
seemed to be no limit. The key to his one-man
show was that he immediately turned it into a
3,0(X)-person show, selling new standards in
audience involvement.
From the middle of his first number, he was
off the stage and wandering through the crowd,
even finding an empty scat in the front row in
which to sit and perform. MeFerrin used audi
ence participation in almost every song, calling
on standards known to all.
From the ABCs to “Itsy Bitsy Spider” to
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” MeFerrin
permanently affixed smiles to audience mem
bers’ faces by helping them recall those child
hood sing-alongs.
For the baby boomers in the crowd, he
(conjured up versions of the “Beverly Hillbil
lies,” the “Peter Gunn Theme,” and “These Arc
a Few of My Favorite Things” from the “Sound
of Music.” i
i '
I f there was any doubt that the Lied audience
was eager to sing with McFcrrin, it evaporated
when he asked for 16 singers to take the stage
and was instead joined by 48. He directed this
impromptu chorus by singing every part to
them, demonstrating the magnitude of his leg
endary vocal range.
McFerrin also look the audience on a magi
cal excursion to the Land of Oz with his stan
dard medley from the film. From “Somewhere
Over The Rainbow” to “Lions and Tigers and
Bears,” he blazed through all the classics and
then mcl ted 1 ike the W i eked W itch after splash -
ing water on himself from his bottle of Evian.
Perhaps the most spectacular moment of the
show was the performance of Bach’s “Ave
Maria,” in which only the best soprano voices
in the audience wove their beautiful sounds
through the air as McFerrin cradled them in the
warmth of his silky tenor and bass. He seemed
genuinely impressed and offered his applause
to the angelic voices at the end of number.
McFcrrin’s solo moments were electrifying
as well. He performed a stirring Negro spiritual,
his classic “Drive,” and ‘The Star-Spangled
Banner.” When the crowd just sat and listened,
McFcrrin seemed to take them to an intangible
place.
He received an instant and wholly deserved
standing ovation and came back to perform
“Thus SpakeZaraihustqi’’ from “2001: A Space
Odyssey,” again with the help of the audience.
After the show, the smiling crowd filed out,
its cars still tingling with McFcrrin’s inspired
sound. His gift to the audience was more than
just music; he gave it a greater and more
precious gift. He pul everyone, at least for a
moment, in touch with hisor her own creativity.
Few performers have ever had such a rare
talent.
Courtesy of Bobby McFerrin
Bobby McFerrin performed Saturday night at the Lied Center tor Performing
• Jag|- 1 ^ -j-'PlfNf¥^5' 1
^ Robin TrimarcW/DN
Left to right: Colby Starck, drummer; vocalist Shannon Dobson; guitarist Jason Merritt;
James Wolcott on keyboards and bassist Jonathan Hiscke are Roosevelt Franklin.
nusual blend
oosevelt Franklin combines different styles
ithout attempting to ‘make sense’ musically
I Matt Silcock
iff Reporter
If you want lo see something dif
fent in the Lincoln music scene, go
I Roosevelt Franklin at Duffy’s
lem Jan. 31. You’ll hear crazed
fk, cheesy ’70s disco, psychotic
led metal, Frank Zappa-style pro
issivc rock, hard-core rap and wail
\ Chicago blues — probably all in
c song.
Throw in performance art, intense
isicianship and bizarre humor, and
u’vc got the Roosevelt recipe.
This insane musical brew origi
ted when drummer Colby Starck
proachcd bassist Jonathan Hischkc
out starling a band during y Take 6
concert al the Lied Center for Per
forming Arts. (“Take 6 arc God,”
explains Hischke, an opinion the
whole band shares.)
They soon hooked up with guitar
ist and budding artist Jason Merritt to
form a trio, but their sound was beefed
up by the addition of James Wolcott,
an accomplished classical pianist and
cellist who plays keyboards.
After a debut show with another
singer, the current lineup was estab
lished with the addition of Shannon
Dobson, whose impressive voice
sounds like Eua James, Ella Fitzgerald
and Faith No More’s Mike Patton
rolled into one.
Since no one else seems able to, I
asked Slarck and Hischkc to attempt
to describe the Roosevelt sound.
According to Starck, “Everybody
brings in a different aspect to the
group. Jason listens to classical and
new age; Shannon is our soul sista;
James is our techno-nerd, into Meat
Beat Manifesto and stuff like that.
Hischkc is our Rastafarian mutt, who
listens to whatever is the weirdest
thing around. I guess I bring the hip
hop aspect to it.”
This influence is seen when, in the
middle of the show, Starck comes out
from behind his drums and rocks the
mike with “Five Fingersof the Hand,”
a full-fledged rap anthem that is one
of the high points of a Roosevelt
See ROOSEVELT on 11
Blues album features
frenzied guitar licks,
equally powerful vocals
}_ * * ® V
Jim Thackery
“Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers”
Jimmy Thackery
Blind Pig Label
Jimmy Thackery, the lightning
blues guitarist, just released his solo
album, “Jimmy Thackery and the
Drivers,” a compilation of 12 blues
tracks.
Courtesy of Blind Pig Records
You wouldn’t know it by looking
at him, but the vibration of Thackcry ’ s
deep, rumbling vocals can knock you
backward if you’re standing too close
to the stage or the speakers.
The fact that he can sing as well as
he can play should come as no sur
prise, considering the depth of his
blues experience.
For 14 years, Thackcry played w ith
the Nighthawks before forming the
Assassins—a rock‘n’ roll and rhythm
and blues six-man band. When the
Assassins disbanded, Thackcry
teamed up with Assassins’ drummer
See THACKERYon 11
