Holy crap. Sharon Jones. If you don’t know who Sharon Jones is, then go find her. Quit your job and go find her. I’m sure she’s somewhere in New York telling a story in song right about now. You’ll be able to hear her voice, I assure you that. You might even be able to hear her stomping around doing the Mash Potato. She’s the kind of singer that doesn’t take what was good about ’60s and ’70s funk and soul and make it into something that we can digest in this new age. Ms. Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings ARE ’60s and ’70s soul.
Last night, Ms. Jones and the Dap Kings set Harlem ablaze in Jackie Robinson Park. I’m talking about cow- kicked-it-over fires. She is the most incendiary singer/entertainer I have ever laid eyes on. And Mother Leary Said…IT’S GONNA BE A HOT TIME IN THE OLD TOWN TO-NIGHT! Ok, Ok, wrong city.
I got up to 145th Street around 7:25. Who knew that the A Train went from 59th Street to 125th Street?! That is a fucking JUMP. I’ve never been to Jackie Robinson Park before and while on the train I became nervous that I wouldn’t be able to find it once walking up from the subway. Holy Sharon Jones was I wrong. How can you not find Ms. Sharon Jones? She’s the “female James Brown!” I could have sworn I heard her on the subway at 59th Street. That is how loud she is. That’s how full of energy she is. She’s a tiny woman that could probably outhaul a Ford Bronco.
When I got to the park, Ms. Jones was kicking the shit out of Woody Guthrie. “This Land Is Your Land” is not a folk song anymore. It’s a SOUL! song. You couldn’t help to watch, stare, smile, and get goose bumps as a tiny woman swimming in sweat roared out one song after another with horn stabs, break downs, and high heeled dancing.
Sharon went from song to song without a single second to catch her breath. Each song sounded better than the other. “What Have You Done For Me Lately” was a shot in the gut as Sharon begged to ask over and over again, yes you guessed it, “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?” “Not Last Year, Not Last Month, Not Last Week, Not Last Hour, NOT EVEN LAST MINUTE. What Have YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY???????” There’s so much that happened last night at that show that it would exhaust me to go through it, but it ended with Sharon showing off all the different types of dances she used to do as a child. The Mash Potato, The Swimmer, The Boogaloo, etc.
I usually hate when people sing along or talk during concerts. And the woman behind me last night was SCREAMING. “Let’s hear it Sharon!” “I Know What You Mean!” “Dance Girl!” But last night, I loved every fucking second of it. Because if you weren’t feeling yourself singing along or feeling your legs begin to shake at this show, let me tell you something… You are from fucking outer space. You are not human. The woman has so much in her and that band is so tight and perfect that no one could deny that what went on in that park last night was from the Gods. My camera broke on me last night, so pictures are from Stu Arnold.
