good god almighty!

as wxrt's veteran geek, terri hemmert, introduced booker t. & the mg's last night, she gushed to the crowd that being in the presence of booker's organ was like being in church...& as stupid as that sounds, sitting in the harris theatre, as i listened to the music, unable to wipe the smile from my face, i really did feel like i was experiencing something holy...duck dunn & steve potts (al jackson's cousin) set a monster tempo, while booker t. laid down the ultra smooth melodies, but it was steve cropper's rhythmic guitar solos that blew my mind...i was in complete awe throughout the entire performance...obviously, that feeling hasn't worn out yet either, & if anything it was lifted when mavis staples took the stage for the second half of the night...at 69 years old, she moved pretty slowly, & may have even been slightly under the weather (her backup singers, including sister yvonne, were all out with the flu), but backed by an amazingly swampy three-piece blues band & an incredible array of stories & songs, she performed one of the most soulful & heartfelt sets i've ever seen...at one point, after dropping the mic to her side & screaming the chorus to "waiting for my child", i looked around & saw more than a few tears running...i only wish that the show had kept going...on the other hand, when booker t. shuffled back on stage for the impromptu duet of "i'll take you there", & the band played the two legends off, i really couldn't have asked for more...as mavis said, "good god almighty, what a night."

setlist:
booker t. & the mg's:
gotta serve somebody
melting pot (download)
soul dressing
booker-loo
soul limbo
summertime
hip hug-her
green onions
hang 'em high
time is tight
---
mavis staples:
for what it's worth
eyes on the prize
down in mississippi
wade in the water
waiting for my child (download)
this little light of mine
why am i treated so bad
instrumental break
freedom highway (download)
i'll take you there (w/ booker t. jones)