Aretha Franklin Rocks The Fox
It was the least Aretha Franklin could do after dissing the ATL by abruptly canceling her Chastain Park concert scheduled for September. The undisputed “Queen of Soul” paid homage to living civil rights legend the Rev. Joseph Lowery with a packed tribute concert at the Fox. You may recall that the diva pulled out of a late summer concert, claiming it was too hot to perform outdoors (despite the fact that city leaders had managed to secure an alternate indoor venue). Well, it seems that the diva has love for A-town, or at least the sprightly Lowery, as she agreed to do the show as a benefit to the Joseph E. Lowery Institute for Justice and Human Rights at Clark Atlanta University and in honor of his 86th birthday (yes, 86th). A “who’s who of Atlanta” crowd, including actor/filmmaker Tyler Perry, former mayor Andrew Young, Atlanta City Councilman Michael Julian Bond, and Coca-Cola exec Ingrid Saunders Jones, packed the joint to savor Franklin’s sultry vocals and she did not disappoint as she cruised through a medley of signature hits like “Think,” “Giving Him Something He Can Feel,” and a variety of gospel tunes. Lowery was clearly in his element as he watched the show front and center in a special VIP area. He managed to briefly upstage Franklin during a special presentation telling her, “You make me feel like a natural man!” He followed the comment up by playfully kissing his wife who feigned jealousy. After the show at a catered reception, Lowery was mobbed like a rock star by friends, supporters, and well wishers. Hands down, though, the highlight of the evening was when Franklin honored a special request by the guest of honor and returned to the stage to close out the show with a lively rendition of “Respect.” We all left the Fox with an even higher level of R-E-S-P-E-C-T for Franklin’s awesome talent.
