I saw Al Green perform once when I was in college. It was at an after party during the esteemed Boston Marathon weekend. In addition to the band on stage, Green was flanked on either side by identical twin males who's sole purpose was to dance in sync with one another, through the whole show. This was very indicative of the kind of performance Al put on that night. He had a distinct swagger, you coul feel it. He chatted up the audience between songs and extended his hand to some of the more experienced women in the crowd, giving them each a moment of dance, usually consisting of a twirl and/or dip. Obviously he was dressed impeccably in an all white tuxedo, with plenty of ornate gold jewelry to glisten in the in the simply lit hotel dining room.
The concert was invite only, and I was fortunate enough to come along as my roommate Drew's, plus 1. His father was the man to know in Boston at the time both professionally and socially, and I got along quite well with him. I like to think that he liked me, or at the very least approved of Drew's fraternizing with me. Nonetheless, he often kept up appearances at these kinds of functions by showing up, working the room in a timely and efficient manner, and exiting through a back door everyone just assumed led to the kitchen. Because of this, I was often given the opportunity to take his place at these events, and Drew and I always made the most of them. From holding the world series trophy to playing a nine-inning game of baseball at Fenway Park. From going backstage at the Ringling Bros. circus, to heckling Paul Pierce on inbound passes from court-side seats. I was given access to far more than i deserved, but I like to think i made the most of it.
I sat across from Nomar Garciaparra at the Al Green show, and he did a decent job of acting like he enjoyed it. Come "intermission," he was outta there faster than he ever stole a base in his life. And come the start of the second act, there quite a few empty places at each table. Suddenly there was room. And though I was not of age to drink yet, this was the kind of scene where that issue never got called into play. So a few Jack n' Gingers' later, Drew and I had unbuttoned our suit jackets, and emptied our pockets. We grabbed up whatever Cougar had wandered into our line of sight and step, and gave her a chance to relive her Junior Prom. If memory serves me, Big Al even gave us a shout out for our "enthusiasm". There was absolutely nothing in all of Beantown that was going to keep us down that night. The women we wound up having drinks with after the show were a decade or two our senior, and we talked a little louder, and a little more animated that night. I'd be lying if I said we didn't go to bed wearing ear to ear grins.
And oh yea, in the midst of all this we got to see Al Green. Al - mothafuckin' - Green baby! And his soul-flare might have been a bit much, but his voice was good enough to back it. He still had that reserved, vibrato-infused style that made him such a heartthrob. But with the mere flip of the wrist, he could turn it on, projecting his pipes to the outer atmosphere and beyond. He may have been an ordained pastor, but he had a very sexual vibe. A vibe he was fully aware of, and used to rope the audience in, male and female alike. And age did not matter, if anything, it may have helped him project the image he was going for.
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