PREVIEWS & REVIEWS
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Audience Reviews of Taj Mahal Performance on November 11, 2007
"I thought the Taj Mahal show last night was great. I completely enjoyed myself. Taj was excellent. He and his band seemed to be having a good time. His down home style at delivering "the best American export" got my head bobbing, hands clapping, and foot tapping. I guess it was a total body experience! The crowd was lively and supportive. But then how could you not enjoy Taj, especially when he is in his finest Caribbean outfit - hat and all?" - Jeff deGraffenried
"Taj Mahal truly showed himself as an ambassador of blues and world music. He did a great job of taking old classics like 'Fishing Blues' and adding an island rhythm to it. The bass player was a tremendous asset and the whole band were very tight and truly seemed to enjoy playing together. The 'Uh-uh Blues' had the whole place rocking. Taj was even better than when I saw him 20 years ago and part of that is the ASC. What a great place to see such a fantastic musician. It was one of the best concerts that I have seen in a long time. I loved the hat. I have to find one of those." - Bart Crawford
"When Taj Mahal stepped out onto the Alys Stephens Center stage, picked up his guitar and began to waggle his head, shake his floppy wide-brimmed hat, slide his feet and shimmy his legs, I knew the show would be great. He’s got such rhythm and you could see the joyful way he felt the music. Mahal and the Trio evoked the sounds of Africa, New Orleans and the Caribbean with acoustic guitar, bass and drum. The music really swept the audience around the world, touching on so many musical influences, and the audience loved it. When he played Chicago blues, everyone was moving, and I couldn’t stop singing 'My Creole Belle' for hours afterwards. I felt just like I was down in Louisiana. When Taj picked up his electric guitar you could feel the growling excitement. It was really a show of American blues and how the blues have influenced music all around the world. I’d say this is one of the best shows I’ve been to and I have a great new admiration for Taj – he’s a true master. I wish everyone could have been there, it would make the world a better place!" - Shannon Thomason
"What a great weekend of music! We had tickets to Keb' Mo' on Saturday night, and Taj Mahal on Sunday night. I only knew a little bit of their music before (we own one CD of each), but when I saw they were coming to the Alys Stephens Center, I knew we had to get tickets. Boy, was I glad we did. Keb' Mo' played a strong solo set, and really fired up his steel guitar. He had a real engaging time with the audience, too. People were calling out songs from all over the hall, and he was kind enough to oblige. The room is big, but not too big, and Keb' Mo' seemed to be relating to people in every corner. Taj Mahal appeared to pour everything into his show, and the audience fed off of his energy. We were dancing in our seats and it seemed that most of the people around us were, too. I've heard a lot of performers comment on how great the sound is in the Concert Hall, or what a nice facility ASC is, but Keb' Mo' was the first one I've heard say how clean it is." - Keith Johns
"Well, if you weren't at the Alys Stephens Center on Sunday night for Taj Mahal, you missed a great show. We had super seats and could see 'the hat wobble' up close on Taj Mahal's bald head. The band rocked in the best venue in town for music. We are so lucky to be able to see such great acts so close to home.We have been going to shows at ASC since we moved back to Bham from North Carolina and this was one of my favorite shows ever!" - Beth Johns
Audience Previews of AXIS Dance Company November 17-18, 2008
"I’ve been excited about this show since it was announced. It’s great when artists show that just because someone has a disability it doesn’t mean they can’t produce beautiful art. I think it will be an inspiring performance. This would be a great show to bring your kids to because you could introduce them to dance while showing them that having physical disadvantages doesn’t have to stop you from pursuing and achieving your dreams." - Virginia Williams
"Having attended performances all over the world, from La Scala to Tanglewood, the Concertgebouw to the Musikverein, von Karajan to Fitzgerald (Ella)--and OK, Fleetwood Mac--I'm not surprised by much on the stage. These Dance performances ALWAYS surprise me, in part because I'm less informed about dance but more because dancers have more to work with (music, rhythm, movement, costumes, apparatus). I'm convinced that dance is where creativity in performance art is most pronounced, where the goal is to break the mold and always to surprise in ways that I find exhilarating. Please keep bringing these hip events to the ASC." - Tom Hart