LALAH & PJ

Three days ago, two co-workers told me that Lalah Hathaway and PJ Morton would be in the area performing at the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) in Raleigh. Now, I have to say, seeing Lalah perform has been on my “to do” list for years. So, as soon as I heard the news, I quickly purchased my ticket. A day later, my coworkers and I took in the Lalah Hathaway experience at the NCMA. As I walked around the Joseph M. Bryan, Jr. Theater, I couldn’t help but smile at the multitude of people on the lawn awaiting the concert.

It was an absolutely great day for an outdoor event. The temperature was a comfortable 80 degrees under mostly sunny skies. We arrived in time to get our spot on the lawn and I told my co-workers I wanted to walk around to take in the sites. As I walked around speaking to as many people as I could, I saw a couple of friends already in place.

Keyboardist P.J. Morton opened first. His song “Sticking to My Guns” set the tone. Folks were up, moving, clapping, and in some instances dancing. The mood and vibe was upbeat and fun. The Maroon 5 band member got everyone up and involved in a call and response technique with his first song. Each subsequent song he performed built on the previous one. P.J.’s melodic “Please Don’t Walk Away” had the diverse crowd in a musical trance as they (myself included) sang the chrous with him.

The son of Bishop Paul S. Morton sang a few more great songs, one of which was the gospel influenced song “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”. This song took us ALL “to church.” One man was so filled with the Spirit he couldn’t keep it to himself and shouted to the high heavens with outstretched arms. P.J. then ended his set with his classic rendition of the Bee Gees hit “How Deep Is Your Love.”

There was about a twenty minute intermission before Ms. Hathaway began her set. During the break, our entertainment was none other than DJ Sparks. The turntablist kept the theater rocking with great music by James Brown, Teena Marie, Cameo, Prince, Earth, Wind, and Fire, and “The Voice” himself, Luther Vandross just to name a few. (Most of the crowd did the electric slide during Cameo’s “Candy” song).

And then…LALAH happened. From the moment she hit the stage, we were all prisoners of the moment. The opening song “Baby Don’t Cry” got things started. The sultry singer later shifted into her remarkable renditions of Anita Baker’s “Angel”, Earth, Wind, and Fire’s “Would You Mind” and Luther’s “Forever, For Always, For Love.” Lalah ended the excellent evening with her song ‘Somethin’.

All in all, it was a great night filled with great people enjoying great music by P.J. Morton and Lalah Hathaway. P.J. was awesome, but sitting on the lawn, in the cool of the night, listening to Donny Hathaway’s daughter serenade us, was an experience I won’t soon forget. As a matter of fact, I see another Lalah Hathaway concert in my near future. She was extraordinary. This is also the first of what I hope will be many other concerts that I will attend at the North Carolina Museum of Art. The theater has a variety of artists lined up over the course of the next four months that includes a noteworthy saxophonist July 13!