Apparently this was Leon's first London show since 1971. Well, this ol' boy didn't disappoint. He played killer originals: Prince of Peace, Song For You, Hummingbird, Delta Lady (the opener). He played shit-hot covers: Wild Horses, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Baby What You Want Me to Do, Sweet Little Angel, Hard Rain Gonna Fall, Papa Was a Rolling Stone, Georgia, Roll Over Beethoven, Great Balls of Fire. He played a Beatles song, too...but I can't remember what the hell it was.
He played gospel, he played soul, he played blues he played honky and he played tonk. Leon and his crack band played the lights outta that joint. He was bow-down, down-home, legit-shit. What a great venue the Jazz Cafe is, too.
Poorman's Podcast:
This audio is a bit of commentary from me when I got to the show. The opening act hadn't come on yet and I am surveying the scene and setting the stage for all of you who could not be there. Have a listen and get a feel for the room and the crowd.
Here is a bit of Audio I recorded with my iPhone. Yes, with my iPhone so you know the quality is not great...but I held it low and we got some halfway decent sound. You should listen to it for a couple of reasons: (1) it is a cover of Wild Horses and (2) it is played with such a jaunty, hee-haw, slippery-slide-y guitar. It is a fun version...you'll dig it.
The cool part is at 2:45 on the audio clip he tells a bit of a story about a very famous songwriting friend. Leon didn't call him out by name, but, you'll know who he is...before Levon tears of a great version of one of the mystery songwriter's songs.
The audio for the story is very clear and the song quality ain't too shabby. The crowd is a knowing crowd, too. Leon calls out some very famous session players who helped him out once and people cheered for them, too.
I am including the following audio clip as well. The sound is not that good at all...mainly because these two closing numbers were played with wild, rock & roll, reckless abandon. If anything, get a feel for the crowd and how much we loved this gig. Also, Leon kicks off the show with a story about Jerry Lee Lewis.
