i wanna be spry!

Last night we saw the 5 blind boys from Alabama, and mavis staples (who I did not know was in the rock n’ roll hall of fame, nor did I know that she was such a part of dr. kings movement – it was fascinating). But get this – there are still two original members of the blind boys performing – one is their lead singer – and they began in 1939!! THIRTY-NINE. Even if he was only 5, that makes him in his 70’s, and he was SPRY! First of all, he sang his guts out, and then at one point he was hopping and they have 2 sighted players, one of whom came to stand behind him to spot him while he spun like james brown! It was astonishing to see these old men, (the non-original members were old, too, but not that old), so full of passion and ability – they were so fantastic. I was wiped out from clapping and smiling & chair dancing before mavis staples even started. J frankly, I preferred the blind boys to her, which was the opposite of what I was expecting. (unsurprisingly, I’m a fan of the diva.) at the end of the blind boys set, andrew leaned over and asked me, laughing, “as the resident victory expert, do you think they have the victory?” (since I tend to listen to the gospel radio stations for their ability to encourage my heart. there is something vibrant and real and dependent in much of that music that speaks to my soul like little else.) it was interesting to watch the crowd, for whom old, seriously old, school gospel/grassroots soul is an intellectual & musical historical note (we were on campus at duke, I’m sure you can imagine the demographic of the crowd)… because for the old men up on the stage, it definitely was not. the clearly meant every single wavering note with every fiber of their beings. It was a highlight of my year so far! thanks, Andrew & Shanna!