Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, 21 March, 2011

I haven't been so excited for a show since Gogol Bordello, 2 years ago. My anticipation was over-the-top because not only was I going to see Sharon Jones, but I was seeing Sharon Jones at The Beacham. Walking in through the foyer, it looked comfortably familiar, but entering the main hall was like coming home after college, everything was just as I remembered it.

We took a position at the front of the stage and refused to budge. We were immediately accosted by a "dude" touting the splendour that was Sharon Jones. I was happy just to find the boxset I missed out on, this guy took a train to Rhode Island to see her when she cancelled her only Florida date last year. He then began spreading his gospel to the people filling in around us, and that left us to enjoy the show.

Up first was Peter Baldwin, and he was the vocalist in the 3-piece (sans drummer) band. It was immediately that we realized we had an issue. Standing right up on the stage - everything except the vocals were crystal clear - the vocals were going thru the PA system which projected out into the venue and left us hearing only what was bouncing off the walls. That sucked. We had to decide whether we wanted to be close to SJ, or hear SJ. We decided on close. The Dap Kings played, then the two back-up singers each came out and performed a song. The energy was building to a fevered pitch when Sharon Jones emerged and immediately exuded a wall of tireless excitement. She danced and sang like a women possessed by Tazmanian devils. The band was tight and strong, and provided a foundation from which Sharon Jones was drawing her strength. She consistently pulled women and men on stage exciting the crowd to near orgasmic fervor. It truly was a surreal experience being so close to such a dynamo; I could smell her perfume, I was that close - and more amazingly - I felt her waves of energy pushing out into the crowd like waves, and the rush of that passion as it returned to it's source. I will she her again, but next time I will do so from a distance only because I felt robbed in not hearing her voice.

If The Beacham wants to sustain this time around, the $6.50 dixie cup liquor needs to go, and they need to find a way to accommodate the die-hard fans who not only want to be as close as possible to their idols, but they want to remember the show as without flaw. Otherwise, it's a great story, probably a great photo - but you won't have that audible memory that took your breath away.