British Sixties Pop Icon debut at BB Kings NYC!
After queuing up outside for 45 minutes with only the bright lights of Times Square famous 42nd Street and a few oddballs to distract us from the frigid weather, the doors finally opened and we made it into the bowels of the famous B.B. Kings main room. We had time to defrost and our table had a great view of the stage, but they pack you in tight and perform speed table service and return with mediocre food at best.
Lulu's name is synonymous with the movie “To Sir with Love” which she sang the title song and it became the #1 Pop Song of 1967. She had a role co-staring in the film as Babs Pegg and observing the number of her fans at the show, many still consider her number one. Her first top ten hit at the tender age of 15, was the enduring "Shout”; also used in John Belushi “Animal House” by the fictional band Otis Day and the Nights and is probably the most played wedding song of all time. Lulu is petite and at 64 she looks and sounds great. She stumbled a little on the set list and confused her band, The Fab Faux and Paul Shaffer, but by her own admittance, she laughed and said, “Hey I am 64, I forget things” Paul Shaffer has been David Letterman’s musical director and sidekick for the past 30 years and tonight he played alongside Lulu with great skill.
Lulu started her set with “Unchain My Heart by Ray Charles, she also sang “Oh Me Oh My”, “Bell Bottom Blues”, between songs she regaled us with the stories about Atlantic Records, Aretha Franklin, and many other performers from the golden age of rock. Lulu was a fan and friend of the Beatles, so she belted out a couple of Beatles songs and dedicated “In My Life” to John Lennon and George Harrison.
Finally she got around to the song that the audience had been waiting for “To Sir with Love” however she sang it “Al Green Soul Style” saying she just doesn’t have that feeling anymore to sing it the way we all know it, to the disappointment of many of her fans, but overall her and the seasoned professionals backing her provided us with a very entertaining and memorable show. So it was very surprising to me that she is only making her debut in NY last night. Next time Lulu, don’t wait so long.
Grade: B