fri 29/03/2024

Al Green & Michael McDonald, O2 Arena | reviews, news & interviews

Al Green & Michael McDonald, O2 Arena

Al Green & Michael McDonald, O2 Arena

Two veteran soul men, but who really has the golden voice?

The Reverend Al Green, displaying full cheesy charm (and sparkler)Christian Lantry
Looked at from a certain angle, Michael McDonald, who supported Al Green at the O2 on Sunday, couldn't be cooler. A key part of Steely Dan's notoriously virtuosic circle of session musicians, the man who turned the Doobie Brothers from hoary rockers to sophisticated R&B hit machine, and latterly the business partner of The Dude himself, Jeff Bridges – the Missouri-born McDonald epitomises a certain kind of laid-back but massively aspirational attitude. It's the attitude associated very much with 1980s Hollywood and mountains of cocaine, and is summed up in the phrase often used to describe his music: “yacht rock".

Looked at from a certain angle, Michael McDonald, who supported Al Green at the O2 on Sunday, couldn't be cooler. A key part of Steely Dan's notoriously virtuosic circle of session musicians, the man who turned the Doobie Brothers from hoary rockers to sophisticated R&B hit machine, and latterly the business partner of The Dude himself, Jeff Bridges – the Missouri-born McDonald epitomises a certain kind of laid-back but massively aspirational attitude. It's the attitude associated very much with 1980s Hollywood and mountains of cocaine, and is summed up in the phrase often used to describe his music: “yacht rock".

Closer to that other great 1980s smoothie Luther Vandross than to any more rockist contemporaries

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Comments

What a perfect yet unusual way to describe Michael McDonald’s band: "This was a man-machine band to rival Kraftwerk in terms of the erasure of personality in pursuit of the glossiest groove possible.” And it was an excellent review overall. I saw Al Green about ten years ago doing pretty much the act you describe, and he was breathtakingly amazing dressed in a white suit, white shirt, white bowtie, white shoes, all topped off with a very white smile. It made those red, red roses seem even more Platonically hallucinogenic. For ninety minutes I almost believed in God!

I see the concert 2 days ago,,, one word to describe concert and AL GREEN FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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