By Mary Williams
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
They couldn’t see the audience in front of them, but the
Blind Boys of Alabama could certainly feel the energy of their
cheers.
The gospel group, formed in 1939, put on an energetic,
celebratory show at Royce Hall Saturday night, inspiring audience
members to stand up, clap and throw their arms in the air on
numerous occasions.
The evening started out with the Blind Boys singers and the
gifted Spirit of the Century band. Guitarist John Hammond was a
particularly strong performer. After intermission, the singers
performed with their own touring band, another talented set of
musicians.
Clarence Fountain was the patriarch of the evening. Presiding
over the event from his chair on the stage, the group’s
leader gave an energetic performance for someone who was working
against both old age and blindness.
Between songs Fountain would urge the audience to buy their
latest CD, the Grammy-nominated “Spirit of the
Century.”
“Every time one of you buys a CD, I can eat a hot
dog,” Fountain said during one of his many plugs.
Fountain and his band’s enthusiasm for the live music
experience was the driving force behind the success of the concert.
Often during the peak of the songs Fountain would jump out of his
seat, put his hands on his hips and, with a big grin, start moving
around to the music.
In a burst of energy, vocalist Jimmy Carter walked up and down
the aisles of the hall among the viewers, singing and sometimes
even jumping up and down. His escort was having a difficult time
directing the elderly and blind Carter back to the stage, as he
pulled on his arm attempting to guide him back to the steps. Every
time Carter seemed about to return to the stage he would turn
around and go back out to the audience. Another memorable moment
was the singing of “Amazing Grace” over the guitar riff
from The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun,” from
the “Spirit of the Century” album.
A quieter but equally compelling performance was that of the
blues classic “Nobody’s Fault but Mine.”
A highlight for the crowd was “Soldier,” which
unleashed an unbridled enthusiasm from both the audience and the
band. The rendition of the gospel favorite had arms in the air,
hands clapping and people jumping.
This kind of connection with the audience, whose enthusiasm was
beyond question, was the hallmark of the evening. As hard as the
Blind Boys were working to entertain, the audience was giving that
much back.