CHICAGO -- Six months after the world was braced for the worst, Aretha Franklin gave it her best.

And her best, we learned tonight, is still dependably wonderful: In a triumphant performance at the sold-out Chicago Theatre, a glowing Queen of Soul provided reassurance about her future as she dipped into her past, serving up a set of timeless hits that was classy, sassy and stirring.

It was the Detroit star's first concert since her mysterious hospitalization late last year, which had forced her to leave the public eye amid grim speculation and global vigils. Since re-emerging in February, having lost substantial weight, Franklin has shot down reports of cancer while resolutely declining to elaborate.

So intriguing questions loomed as Franklin's name glimmered on the marquee of the lush, 3,500-seat hall in Chicago's theater district: How would she look? How would she move? How would she play to her audience?

One of the most crucial -- How would she sound? -- was answered early Thursday. Her voice was velvety and potent as she rolled into her set, still finding new curves and corners in the notes of songs such as "Think," "Sparkle" and "Baby I Love You." She deftly moved between registers, swooping into the husky depths of her voice and only occasionally failing to meet the high notes.

Dressed in an elegant lavender dress with a sheer drape -- and looking 10 years younger than she did 10 months ago -- Franklin dished up a diva moment early on, wheeling to snap at personnel in the wings: "Please turn the air off so I don't have to leave the stage."

But it was largely a night of high spirits for the 69-year-old singer in this, her first concert since an October date in Atlantic City. Backed by a tuxedoed band led by new conductor Fred Nelson III, she gave an impromptu vocal fireworks display to finish off a lovely "Angel," had fun with "Chain of Fools" and got spicy on "Something He Can Feel," thrusting her hips and bumping her rump to the crowd's delight.

It's been a bustling week for Aretha in Chicago. She was among the A-list guests at Tuesday's farewell taping of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," singing "Amazing Grace" for the finale that will air next week. Newly inaugurated Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago City Council declared Thursday Aretha Franklin Day in the Windy City.

Franklin, whose summer schedule includes an Aug. 25 show at DTE Energy Music Theatre, was relaxed and smiling backstage a half hour before her show.

Out front, fans streamed in, arriving with high hopes and ample faith after Franklin's winter scare.

"This one is a special night to see her," said Chicago's Brenda Buchanan. "I wanted to make sure I was here to support her."

"We were praying for her," said fan Flora Walker, who attended the show as a 64th birthday gift. "And she made it."

http://www.freep.com/arti...ertainment

Awwwwww

It's Detroit and Janet Jackson Aug. 16th, then Detroit and Auntie Re Re Aug. 25th!

If those crazy people are right and the world comes to an end tomorrow...I'm going straight to hell...cuz I'm gonna be cussin' like a motherfucker about not getting to see those shows!

She looks fantastic!

Aretha
Franklin’s feel-good show is Chicago-flavored

Near the end of Aretha Franklin’s reflective show Thursday at
the Chicago Theater, she put her heart and considerable soul into the gospel
ballad “One Night With the King,” based on the biblical book of queen Esther.
The Queen of Soul then passed on her grandmother’s wisdom before the sold-out
theater: “It’s not the goin’ in when you’re going into the operating room, it’s
when you’re coming out.”

Franklin, 69, was indeed a renewed spirit.

She has lost weight after undergoing surgery late last year
for a mysterious illness. Her first public appearance was only in mid-February.
when she took in a Pistons game in Detroit. The 18-time Grammy winner’s voice is
more full-bodied than in recent Chicago appearances, and her energy level is
high. Franklin finished “One Night With The King” in cresting jubilee gospel
before jumping into a disco-gospel version of her hit “Freeway of Love.”

A few times Franklin seemed to transcend age. She interpreted
her hit “Something I Can Feel” with sexuality, shaking back and forth and ending
the song by patting her bootie. Chicago soul icon Curtis Mayfield wrote the
punchy ballad for the 1976 “Sparkle” soundtrack. Wearing a sequined lavender
gown and matching shawl, Franklin opened her show with the uptempo 1967 Jackie
Wilson hit “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” that was produced by
Carl Davis in Chicago.

Franklin fronted a Chicago-based orchestra with 10 horns, two
percussionists, gospel great Inez Andrews’ son Richard Gibbs on piano. The
bandleader was Fred Nelson III of the First Church of Deliverance at 43rd and
Wabash. Franklin cited the Blues Brothers before sliding into a too-uptempoed
“Think,” from the movie soundtrack.

There was so much of a local flavor to the show you would
have thought Franklin was from Chicago and not Memphis-born and
Detroit-reared.

She sat down at the piano and paid tribute to Sam Cooke, one
of her musical mentors with a fiery version of his hit “You Send Me.” A screen
dropped down from above the stage with portraits of the Chicago soul-gospel
singer. Franklin then recalled being on the road with Cooke in New Orleans and
how on the way to his hotel room, he stopped by her room.

Franklin smiled and let out a flirtatious squeal.

The next day Franklin visited Cooke’s room. Franklin reported
that Mavis and Yvonne Staples of the Chicago-based Staple Singers were across
the hall and saw her go into Cooke’s room. Soon after, Franklin’s father, the
Rev. C.L. Franklin, came knocking at Cooke’s door looking for his daughter.
Franklin said Mavis covered for her. Franklin continued, “And then I ran back
down the hall and went to my room so fast.

“My Dad didn’t know it but he changed the course of history
that day.”

I’ve seen Franklin several times and she’s never been this
loquacious.

Franklin is a force of nature, and nature can be
unpredictable. She sang about 40 minutes and then went offstage while her band
performed a 10-minute musical interlude. Before she could resume any pacing,
Cong. Danny Davis, her longtime family friend Rev. Jesse Jackson and Judge Greg
Mathis were among those who came on stage to help proclaim May 19 as “Aretha
Franklin Day” in Chicago in one of the first such declarations from Mayor Rahm
Emanuel and the City Council.

Hey, we lose Oprah, we get Aretha.

Franklin’s vocal range scaled the blues of “Sweet Sixteen”
and dropped low for the Memphis soul groove of her 1967 hit “Baby, I Love You.”
Her connections with Chicago are deep and true. Her first record, “The Gospel
Soul of Aretha Franklin,” was released in 1956 on Chicago’s Checker label. Her
first professional gig was in 1962 at the long-gone Trade Winds nightclub on
Rush Street. She opened for comic Buddy Hackett. Even from her salad days of the
early 1960s, Franklin still hears a deep call that escapes most of us. Her soul
is stirred by church, love, pain, and last but not least, empowerment. If the
Rapture is coming on Saturday, this was a hell of a way to go out.

Watching Aretha Franklin's body language Thursday at a packed Chicago Theatre was akin to witnessing soul music's originators execute their signature moves. Whether putting her hand on her hip, outstretching her hand as a warning sign, suggestively swinging her hips or playfully slapping her rear end and lifting up her dress to reveal a bit of leg, the vocalist reacted to the messages and emotions in her songs, leaving no doubt that she felt nearly every word she sang. About that voice: Franklin's hallmark attribute was in glorious form for a majority of a triumphant 100-minute set that included everything from dignitaries to a story about local legend Sam Cooke.

For Franklin, the performance heralded a return that a few months ago seemed improbable. Last fall, she cancelled shows and subsequently underwent an undisclosed surgical procedure for what many feared was cancer. In the process, the Queen of Soul shed 80 pounds and emerged with a new album. On Tuesday, she sang "Amazing Grace" at Oprah's farewell bash at the United Center. Yet the real test came Thursday, her first concert since October. The 69-year-old Detroit icon promptly put to rest any lingering concerns about her health or ability.

Wearing a purple gown and four-inch heels, Franklin looked more youthful than she has in years. She commanded attention with a combination of graciousness, gracefulness and assertiveness, stumbling only on the overly embellished "How Long I've Been Waiting." Aside from demanding the air conditioning get shut off while in the midst of her second tune, Franklin appeared rejuvenated and cheerful, reaching back to her gospel roots on multiple occasions. She also thanked Chicago Reverend Jesse Jackson, who appeared onstage, as did several politicians, one of whom read a city resolution honoring "Aretha Franklin Day."

Not that Franklin needed affirmation. While her voice no longer possesses the power it did in the 1960s, she extended passages, elongated phrases and plunged into her deeper register with ease. Franklin treated notes like putty, shortening and lengthening them at will, slipping in gritty moans before transitioning to climactic finishes. She scatted and hummed, preached and testified. She balanced the spiritual and sensual, steaming up elegant ballads ("Ain't No Way"), swanky blues ("Sweet Sixteen"), Memphis soul ("Baby, I Love You") and classic R&B ("Chain of Fools"). At times, her voice emulated the sound of a muted horn, dropping wordless falsetto lines into arrangements in the way that a saxophonist vamps over a melody.

Franklin also displayed an ear for nuance, never an easy task when backed by a 21-piece (and Chicago-based) band/orchestra. Adjusting for her range, she brought "Think" down in key and took Cooke's "You Send Me" to church via the piano. "It's good to be back," she declared, speaking like a woman grateful to a higher power for being given the chance

[Edited 5/20/11 7:56am]

http://www.chicagotribune...7348.story

RnBAmbassador said:

Watching Aretha Franklin's body language Thursday at a packed Chicago Theatre was akin to witnessing soul music's originators execute their signature moves. Whether putting her hand on her hip, outstretching her hand as a warning sign, suggestively swinging her hips or playfully slapping her rear end and lifting up her dress to reveal a bit of leg, the vocalist reacted to the messages and emotions in her songs, leaving no doubt that she felt nearly every word she sang. About that voice: Franklin's hallmark attribute was in glorious form for a majority of a triumphant 100-minute set that included everything from dignitaries to a story about local legend Sam Cooke.

For Franklin, the performance heralded a return that a few months ago seemed improbable. Last fall, she cancelled shows and subsequently underwent an undisclosed surgical procedure for what many feared was cancer. In the process, the Queen of Soul shed 80 pounds and emerged with a new album. On Tuesday, she sang "Amazing Grace" at Oprah's farewell bash at the United Center. Yet the real test came Thursday, her first concert since October. The 69-year-old Detroit icon promptly put to rest any lingering concerns about her health or ability.

Wearing a purple gown and four-inch heels, Franklin looked more youthful than she has in years. She commanded attention with a combination of graciousness, gracefulness and assertiveness, stumbling only on the overly embellished "How Long I've Been Waiting." Aside from demanding the air conditioning get shut off while in the midst of her second tune, Franklin appeared rejuvenated and cheerful, reaching back to her gospel roots on multiple occasions. She also thanked Chicago Reverend Jesse Jackson, who appeared onstage, as did several politicians, one of whom read a city resolution honoring "Aretha Franklin Day."

Not that Franklin needed affirmation. While her voice no longer possesses the power it did in the 1960s, she extended passages, elongated phrases and plunged into her deeper register with ease. Franklin treated notes like putty, shortening and lengthening them at will, slipping in gritty moans before transitioning to climactic finishes. She scatted and hummed, preached and testified. She balanced the spiritual and sensual, steaming up elegant ballads ("Ain't No Way"), swanky blues ("Sweet Sixteen"), Memphis soul ("Baby, I Love You") and classic R&B ("Chain of Fools"). At times, her voice emulated the sound of a muted horn, dropping wordless falsetto lines into arrangements in the way that a saxophonist vamps over a melody.

Franklin also displayed an ear for nuance, never an easy task when backed by a 21-piece (and Chicago-based) band/orchestra. Adjusting for her range, she brought "Think" down in key and took Cooke's "You Send Me" to church via the piano. "It's good to be back," she declared, speaking like a woman grateful to a higher power for being given the chance

[Edited 5/20/11 7:56am]

[Edited 5/20/11 7:57am]

Wow, those reviews got me wanting to hear the audio!

Thursday night at the Chicago Theatre, Aretha Franklin kicked off her
first gig since last October with one request (and it wasn’t for r-e-s-p-e-c-t):
"Please turn the air off so I don’t have to leave the stage."

It was a welcome, though sweaty, reminder that the ultimate diva – who shuns
air conditioning because it dries out her vocal cords – is back, months after
being sidelined by a mysterious injury that forced her to cancel a string of
tour dates last fall.

Emerging 80 pounds lighter in a sparkly, floor-length purple gown with a matching scarf, the 69-year-old singer spent the next 100 minutes proving she’s alive and kicking: she wiggled her hips, spanked her booty, even flashed some leg. And then there’s her voice, which at points had to dip into its lower register, but still packed its trademark punch on career-spanning tunes from Sixties gems "Ain’t No Way" and "Chain of Fools" to the saucy 1976 hit "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" and the sax-fueled 1985 smash "Freeway of Love." During the 1973 soul ballad "Angel," Aretha busted out a series of runs that would’ve made Simon Cowell weep, and prompted fans to shout things like "Work that mic, girl!"

But Franklin – who was backed by the killer, 21-piece Aretha Franklin Orchestra – didn’t only sing; she talked to the crowd, too. Mid-show, a giant screen flashing photos of Sam Cooke descended on stage, inspiring Franklin to recall the time she toured with the late soul icon. "We were in New Orleans, and he stopped by my hotel room," she said with a smile, before kicking into a cover of Cooke’s "You Send Me" on the piano. "The next day, I stopped by his room. He wasn’t married then. Heyyyyy."

100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Aretha Franklin

The singer also shared the spotlight with the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Illinois-based U.S. Rep. Danny Davis and celebrity Judge Greg Mathis, who she called "my dearest friends and supporters from Chicago." (The men walked onstage, silently kissed her cheek, then scurried away.) Another guest was a Chicago alderman, who saluted Franklin on behalf of new Mayor Rahm Emanuel before informing her that the City Council had passed a resolution declaring May 19th "Aretha Franklin Day."

Despite the honor, Franklin wanted to make sure her fans were onboard with her new material (her 38th studio album, Aretha: A Woman Falling Out of Love, was released earlier this month). "Do you like it?" she asked. "You can buy it on WalMart.com."

As the show wound down, Franklin pumped out a slinky blues cover of B.B. King’s "Sweet Sixteen" ("Bring it home!" she yelled to her band, while strutting across the stage and lifting her dress to reveal her thigh) and a rousing rendition of the gospel slow-burner "One Night with the King." As Jesse Jackson and Judge Mathis boogied in the wings, Franklin curtsied and exited the stage – then came back, four-inch heels in hand, for the pipe-busting encore, "Respect." While she reveled in her umpteenth standing ovation of the night, Franklin spoke her last words, revealing her late-night party spot on Chicago’s South Side. "I’m on my way to Lem’s Barbeque."