‘Who has never seen me in concert?’ asked Wynnona Judd while making a funny face as she did many times during her show at the Annenberg Space for Photography… ‘Well it’s about time!’ she screamed at people rising their hand. I was among them, I had never seen the woman in concert but had heard plenty of her and the Judds, her famous duo with her mother, and the country star gave us many examples of her colorful character and strong attitude on Saturday night.
On stage, she looks like Elvis meets Elvira in full make-up, with sparkling black outfit and hot orange hair, a big name with big hair fronting the Big Noise (the name of her band), wanting to entertain with an outrageous attitude: ‘I have teens at home who don’t understand how famous I am!’ she says to amuse the audience, ‘I got lots of attitude and I got paid for it!’… ‘Don’t get bossy with me’ she said to a woman asking for a song, ‘I am in control here!’… really? Was there anyone who had still any doubt? ‘I have one word, no two words for you’, she continued, ‘if I don’t play the song,… Down load!’ two words Wynnona, really? Okay you get it, Wynnona is a talker, she likes to throw sassy remarks to her public and she explains everything about her family situation so that in 2 hours, you get to know the woman.
Backed up by her five-man band including her drummer and new husband Cactus Moser, she gave to the public what they wanted, a mix of her solo career and materials from The Judds catalogue (such as The Judd’s theme song, ‘Why not Me’) her voice roaring over a blend of country-rock-blues and even gospelic music, filled with hooky choruses, making sure everyone has understood that a good show is all about attitude.
I have to admit it, Wynnona Judd was a very familiar name, but I knew none of her songs, although some sounded familiar… there was question a lot of love, faith, ‘the sky is the limit’ and seeing the light among other trite subjects but Wynnona really believed in that stuff,… she performed everything with the same big voice, often playful, sometimes more focused and serious but always soaring like an hurricane. A more expressive face than Wynnona’s you can’t find, she has to be a joy for photographs, and she abundantly thanked the crowd to have come, ‘After 30 years you’re still here,… I am not taking anything for granted’ she said making her sound almost vulnerable for the first time. She did a cover of Foreigner’s ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’ reaching high and long note, but she often grunts, rocks and fully lives her music, despite her minimalist moves on stage; Wynnona just moves her arms a lot but she doesn’t walk much these days, she can’t! Just like her husband who got a bionic leg after an accident — yes she explained this too — she seems to be a restrained walker, embarrassed by her platform shoes.
A big show would not be big without a special guest, and Nathan East (may be best known for his participation in Daft Punk’s last album) came on stage to play during a few songs with his funky bass. They all did an encore with a great version of The Judds hit ‘Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days)’, with all the musicians gathered around one mic and playing acoustic, and Wynnona’s voice exploded one more time behind the mic for a grand finale and something very unusual happened in LA… it rained!
Is Wynnona the Aretha Franklin of country? She is a bit this and her own phenomenon. With an outrageous stage presence, she belongs to a species that doesn’t exist anymore these days, …‘We put the fun in dysfunctional’ she said with a large smile, aware of her family life being largely exposed in the media, she is like an Oprah show with an Elvis-Presley-review-in-Las-Vegas envy, and she has been doing this for 30 years.
More pictures of the show here.
