St. Paul and the Broken Bones
With an intro as if St. Paul had ascended from the heavens, showcasing his range, in a golden robe, laced with gems, he sang a beautiful a capella intro straight into a performance bursting with energy.
My first thought when the band really got into their groove was that this is how I imagine music is supposed to feel, this is how it used to be back in the 60’s in some small club in Alabama, listening to southern, blue-eyed soul music.
St. Paul’s stage presence fed the audience so much energy that it created an environment so full of life that everybody in the room was grooving to the music. Even looking in the background at the entire band, it seemed as if they were having just as much fun as the crowd. They made it feel special as if this show was the biggest show of their lives.
St. Paul brought such a youthful energy that intertwine flawlessly with the classic soul music of the band to create an atmosphere that will be craved.
His all red suit with greyhound seams was just as cool as the man himself. St. Paul and The Broken Bones put on such a captivating performance that it was hard for me to look down at my notepad to even jot down thoughts about it.
St. Paul took advantage of the stage, the band, the crowd, the mic, and all of his surroundings in his performance; the way he executed every move he wanted to do was perfectly timed and posed. Even as he climbed across the walls of the Jones Assembly, he did while still singing his demanding melodies effortlessly.
Words cannot explain how much of a natural performer this man is, the way he peeked over his shoulder at the guitarist who is about to take a solo, the way he gave puppy dog eyes to the bassist who had a killer bass line, the way he put his hands up to move every melody line of every song along, it felt as if he was directing the entire thing.
From the very first song, he felt the pull to jump up on the speakers, because the brink of the stage wasn’t close enough to connect with the crowd.
Being in the crowd felt like being a part of the show. The crowd involvement was such an important part of the show and the energies of St. Paul and the crowd worked off of each other all night.
I was brought to tears, just seeing his tears as he sang “I can’t help you, baby.” I have never seen someone so full of life, just truly bursting with passion.
