Last night I had the pleasure of seeing the incredible Bettye LaVette at the Flato Theatre in Markham. This was my fourth time seeing her and she consistently delivers, packing a powerful punch of raw emotion, conviction, soul and story telling in every performance. Last night she performed her latest album, "Worthy" from start to finish, opening with Bob Dylan's "Unbelievable". She entered the stage in a bright red silk outfit and gold pumps, looking every inch the legend that she is, and also very fitting for Valentine's Day. She looks unbelievably fit and youthful. Her timeless vocals have been unaffected by age, sounding just as good as she did on her 60's recordings. She brought out her sensual trademark dancing during her cover of Jagger and Richards' "Complicated", also included on her latest album. Her interaction with the audience was also heartfelt and humorous.
She was insistent on giving credit to the songwriters before each song and prefaced many of the songs by explaining their relevance and importance to her. She is one of the few artists that I've seen who has consistently given credit to the writers and musicians and is clearly connected to the music that she interprets. "Wait" and "Where A Life Goes" were also highlights in the show, with the ladder being a very moving dedication to her sister who had passed on.
She closed with a jaw dropping performance of "Worthy", which was sung with so much conviction, everyone knew that this was her life in song. The audience was on its feet and she came back to sing a few numbers, asking the audience what they wanted to hear. To my surprise, she sang "Before I Even Knew Your Name" from her 80's Motown album, which she prefaced with "This is dedicated to Carlo, who wanted to hear this song." Not only has this song always meant so much to me, it was such an amazingly profound experience to have it dedicated to me and hear it with my partner sitting beside me. I was truly humbled, honoured and so very thankful.
Afterwards, she sang "Right In the Middle of Falling in Love" and then hilariously tossed off her pumps and changed into glittery flip flops, sitting on the floor to sing the requested, "Souvenirs". She closed with "Before the Money Came", her proclamation to the audience that she is a survivor and she is here to stay.
After the show, we had the special opportunity to see and speak to Bettye, which is always an honour. Having worked harder than most of her peers for the past 50 years to achieve her well deserved and long overdue recognition, she is humble and always willing to give back to her supporters. A special thank you to imnokid!
Bettye's tour continues in Ontario, Canada in the coming week and moves on to the States and Europe in the months to come. Go see her if you have the chance, this is a show you don't want to miss!
Bookmarks