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Review Wed Mar 23 2011
Review: Wanda Jackson @ Lincoln Hall, 3/22
Thankfully, in music, unlike monarchies, people are not simply born with royal titles; they earn them over decades of success. Last night at Lincoln Hall, it didn't take a genius to figure out why Wanda Jackson's been dubbed the Queen of Rockabilly. The 73-year old Oklahoman has been performing over 50 years, is a major influence on countless women in rock'n'roll and country music and has a thorough arsenal of hits.
Of course, being a queen also means there's a little bit of drama involved. She missed rehearsal for her first night with Nashville's Hi-Dollars, forgot lyrics and cues, rambled on tangents, lost her trains of thought, etc. Her signature growl is still in good shape and she was very animated and gracious, but the 70-minute set rarely built any momentum. She roared out of the gate with the Lieber/Stoller classic "Riot in Cell Block #9" and then gave a lengthy introduction that was followed up with two Elvis Presley songs, notably a rambunctious "Heartbreak Hotel."
From there she lauded Jack White for pulling her from the verge of retirement and played 4 songs from her latest album, The Party Ain't Over. She had amusing stories for each before getting back to some of what initially made her famous with "Fujiyama Mama." (I always thought it was crazy that that song was a phenomenon in Japan with lyrics like "I've been to Nagasaki [and] Hiroshima too. The same I did to them, baby, I can do to you.") An endorsement of the Lord almost completely lost the crowd, but "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" revived us. She ended the set with her smash "Let's Have a Party" before returning for a medley of hits as an encore. When she was performing from her regular repertoire, she was a tour de force. But when she ventured outside of her wheelhouse, results were a bit more mixed. Since last night was the first night of the tour, hopefully, those kinks get worked out.
Steve / March 23, 2011 7:38 PM
So Jack White was not on stage with her? That would explain the brief disconnect in her performance.