The TD Toronto Jazz Festival got a sweet 25th birthday present on Friday night in the form of Miss Aretha Franklin.
The 69-year-old Queen of Soul kicked off the quarter-century edition of the festival with a rousing, righteous and, at times, religious show at David Pecaut Square – and it was free – with an estimated crowd of 18,000, although frankly it was hard to see much beyond the first 1,000 or so gathered under the white tent where Franklin performed.
Decked out in a one-strap white goddess gown, major jewels, and one silver high heel and one blue hospital bootie covering her recently fractured toe, Franklin’s limping yet somehow triumphant entrance on stage was preceded by an overture by the Aretha Franklin Orchestra whose numbers neared two dozen.
Oh, and a man carried her purse to the stage where it remained beneath the piano for the entire show.
It was Franklin’s first appearance in Toronto since undergoing a mystery surgery in December and losing 85 pounds and the crowd paid their R-E-S-P-E-C-T even though she left her signature song off the set list of her 90-minute show much to the audience’s dismay as they chanted the tune’s title long after she had left the stage.
But the weight loss hasn’t affected her tremendous voice and spiritual, inspiring presence as she took the audience through some of her best known songs and lesser known tunes including the ballad, How Long I’ve Been Waiting, from her latest album, A Woman Falling Out Of Love.
“Hello Toronto, how are you doing?” said Franklin.
Well, as soon as she opened her mouth and started belting out songs of all genres – soul and gospel (Think, Curtis Mayfield’s Something He Can Feel, Day Dreaming, Sam Cooke’s You Send Me, Baby I Love You), jazz (Moody’s Mood For Love), and pop (Say A Little Prayer, Bridge Over Troubled Water) – we were fine.
Franklin, who disappeared for a brief 10-minute intermission after performing for a half-hour, also added little flourishes wherever possible like adding the line, “whenever I come to Toronto,” to (You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman, a set highlight, and producing a roar from the crowd.
She was playful too, hitting her backside at the very end of Something He Can Feel and doing a little dance and curtsying as the show wound down.
The standout song though was her thrilling, gospel cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water as she sat down to play the piano, making fun of her toe injury briefly, describing falling down on a pile of designer shoes recently.
“Jimmy Choo is good. He called me and said he was going to give me more shoes. Just don’t step on the spike.”
She remained at the piano for Sam Cooke’s You Send Me but when she got up again to sing Sweet 16, another highlight, Freeway of Love and the encore Believe, she really had the crowd back in the palm of her hand again.
Opening for Franklin on Friday night was local act Jordan John and The Blues Angels – which includes John’s father and local musical legend Prakesh on bass – who got the crowd into the right with their set of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Al Green covers.
SET LIST:
Overture
Cherokee
Natural Woman
Think
I Say A Little Prayer
Something He Can Feel
Day Dreaming
Moody’s mood For Love
INTERMISSION
How Long I’ve Been Waiting
Baby I Love You
Bridge Over Troubled Water
You Send Me
Sweet Sixteen
Freeway
ENCORE:
Believe
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