Al Green
By Portia Anderson

Reverend Al Green

Last Thursday the amazing, sanctified international R&B artist Al Green, (Reverend that is) set the Oakland Paramount on fire. How do I describe Al Green’s show in just a few words? He is still the king of delivering heart stirring ballads and timeless love songs.

Wanda Sabir and I picked up our tickets and followed a Paramount usher to our seats. To our surprise we were seated three rows from the front. I got to see the sweat on the man’s brow. Al Green and I go back 31 years, (although he doesn’t know this). I was a twelve year old kid when I first heard the music of Al Green. My mother, sisters and I were living briefly in the sweltering heat of Houston’s third and fifth ward, with my ear glued to the radio, I closely listened to him smoothly sing “Ought To Be With Me”, and for the “Good Times.”

At seventeen years old in my hometown of Seattle, I attended my first Al Green concert. There was near riot of women rushing the stage. Al Green grabbed our hearts with his signature gesture of tossing out red roses into the audience. And baby, did the cat claws come out. Women struggled with each other for just the near stem of the rose.

Fast forward three decades and the Al Green show has the same sort of erotically charged intensity, and with the handing out of beautiful red rose to swooning ladies; but this time around the audience was better behaved, with better crowd control. And this time around we have an Al Green-- a seasoned performer with about 40 years in the business-- who knows the art of slowing or speeding up the tempo of his show.

Al Green who has returned to his religious roots, opened up the show with his 2005 release “Everything is Gonna Be Alright”. He weaved in other gospels, dotted with many amen’s, God is good and thank you Jesus. His show included a melody of Motown hits, and this tremendous artist paid musical homage to many male crooners such as the late Sam Cooke , Otis Redding, and Marvin Gaye.

Then Al Green took the audience on a showing stopping tour through all of his classics. His back up of ten instrumentalists, two will timed dancers (men and no rump shakers), and two strong back up singers, one being his daughter, (she looks just like her daddy) rocked the show.


He was southern style personable, funny and warmly interacted with his audience. The lights were lifted several times for Al Green to see the audience. He acknowledged the folks seated in the back (mostly black folk were seated in the back of the auditorium). Al Green acknowledged San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland and wanted to know which part we hailed. Someone yelled out West Oakland and east side. Al Green has a long living history with the Bay Area audience. And well we have a long history with him.

Let me of course not forget the opening act of Booker T. and the MGs brought the house down with the celebrated sounds of his organ backed up by fabulous instrumentalists that included several local artists such as the percussionist Robert Quintano. Booker T. Jones was one of the original artist on the Memphis Tennessee Stax records along with the MG’s who released the 1962 hit called “Green Onions” and went on to release other monstrous arrangements such as Soul Limo. Listening closely, I believed I heard an underlay of Caribbean and West African High life laced throughout that one particular cut “Soul Limo”. Booker T. and the MG’s will be part of the line up of acts for an upcoming AIDs Benefit concert at the San Francisco Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Call for more information on this show. You will not be disappointed.

It was a powerful show of timeless music that will never grow old. And the Reverend Al Green is a charismatic man who’s come full circle. His voice, style, and energy is still as strong as it was thirty years ago; sure I am gushing like a school girl so here it is, Al Green (Reverend) I am still in love with you.
Last Thursday the amazing, sanctified international R&B artist Al Green, (Reverend that is) set the Oakland Paramount on fire. How do I describe Al Green’s show in just a few words? He is still the king of delivering heart stirring ballads and timeless love songs.

Wanda Sabir and I picked up our tickets and followed a Paramount usher to our seats. To our surprise we were seated three rows from the front. I got to see the sweat on the man’s brow. Al Green and I go back 31 years, (although he doesn’t know this). I was a twelve year old kid when I first heard the music of Al Green. My mother, sisters and I were living briefly in the sweltering heat of Houston’s third and fifth ward, with my ear glued to the radio, I closely listened to him smoothly sing “Ought To Be With Me”, and for the “Good Times.”

At seventeen years old in my hometown of Seattle, I attended my first Al Green concert. There was near riot of women rushing the stage. Al Green grabbed our hearts with his signature gesture of tossing out red roses into the audience. And baby, did the cat claws come out. Women struggled with each other for just the near stem of the rose.

Fast forward three decades and the Al Green show has the same sort of erotically charged intensity, and with the handing out of beautiful red rose to swooning ladies; but this time around the audience was better behaved, with better crowd control. And this time around we have an Al Green-- a seasoned performer with about 40 years in the business-- who knows the art of slowing or speeding up the tempo of his show.

Al Green who has returned to his religious roots, opened up the show with his 2005 release “Everything is Gonna Be Alright”. He weaved in other gospels, dotted with many amen’s, God is good and thank you Jesus. His show included a melody of Motown hits, and this tremendous artist paid musical homage to many male crooners such as the late Sam Cooke , Otis Redding, and Marvin Gaye.

Then Al Green took the audience on a showing stopping tour through all of his classics. His back up of ten instrumentalists, two will timed dancers (men and no rump shakers), and two strong back up singers, one being his daughter, (she looks just like her daddy) rocked the show.


He was southern style personable, funny and warmly interacted with his audience. The lights were lifted several times for Al Green to see the audience. He acknowledged the folks seated in the back (mostly black folk were seated in the back of the auditorium). Al Green acknowledged San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland and wanted to know which part we hailed. Someone yelled out West Oakland and east side. Al Green has a long living history with the Bay Area audience. And well we have a long history with him.

Let me of course not forget the opening act of Booker T. and the MGs brought the house down with the celebrated sounds of his organ backed up by fabulous instrumentalists that included several local artists such as the percussionist Robert Quintano. Booker T. Jones was one of the original artist on the Memphis Tennessee Stax records along with the MG’s who released the 1962 hit called “Green Onions” and went on to release other monstrous arrangements such as Soul Limo. Listening closely, I believed I heard an underlay of Caribbean and West African High life laced throughout that one particular cut “Soul Limo”. Booker T. and the MG’s will be part of the line up of acts for an upcoming AIDs Benefit concert at the San Francisco Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Call for more information on this show. You will not be disappointed.

It was a powerful show of timeless music that will never grow old. And the Reverend Al Green is a charismatic man who’s come full circle. His voice, style, and energy is still as strong as it was thirty years ago; sure I am gushing like a school girl so here it is, Al Green (Reverend) I am still in love with you.