An Eye Opening Experience with the Blind Boys of Alabama

On April 23, 2010 WMNF sponsored the Bird Street Players and the Blind Boys of Alabama onstage at the “Skipperdome.” Arriving early to grab a bench ended up not being early enough. In a predominantly older crowd, the early-birds got the worms, and the good seats. The place was filled with fans of the Boys that had listened to them for decades.

The show took off promptly at 8pm with the Bird Street Singers. I’d seen them before at the Zombie Christmas show. Tonight they were far more energetic and funk-tastic. With a bass, timbales, drums, keyboard, and electric guitar, they rocked the opening set and announced that after the Blind Boys of Alabama finished their set the Players would be back for more.

The crowd was steadily filling in as the sun was setting. Mosquitoes were on the loose but the crowd was too anxious to care. The place was buzzing with chatter and excitement. This particular WMNF event had a completely different feel than the ones before. Perhaps it was the bluesy-gospel-harmonies about to ensue, but the vibe was amazing.

The Blind Boys of Alabama were helped onto the stage while given a huge welcome with applause, whistling and cheering from the audience. They announced “We don’t like to play for a conservative crowd, so if you want to jump up, jump up!” They launched into a few of what they referred to as, “Grammy songs.” Decked out in sharp sapphire-blue suits and their signature sun-glasses they left the crowd in awe as their energy and 3-part-harmonies bellowed out from the stage.

There were not many people mouthing every word to every song, but instead moving, grooving and taking in the tunes. The soulful sounds and intense dedication to the music you could feel from each note was enough to bring a fan to tears. During their set, they played “Perfect Peace,” a “Spirit in the Sky” cover, “Free at Last” and their epic rendition of “Amazing Grace.”

The three main singers took turns sitting. At one point in the performance, the sitting and standing was like a game. Joey Williams, the guitarist, would walk behind Jimmy Carter and sit him down, and then Bishop Billy Bowers would stand and dance around. As Williams would get Bowers seated, Ben Moore would then get up. It was like some kind of bluesy musical chairs. The only one who stayed seated throughout the charade was drummer, Eric McKinnie.

While Joey Williams occasionally blasted out an extreme falsetto solo, it was the deeply southern sounds, the gospel-esque wails, and crazy long notes that made for an amazing set. It was one of those shows where you were so mesmerized by the performance, and you had so much fun, even ten minutes after you leave it’s difficult to really remember which songs they played.

Towards the end of the performance Carter asked the crowd, “Do you feel good?” And after holding a note for what felt like five minutes straight said, “I feel good now!” Shortly after, the Blind Boys bodyguard escorted Carter into the crowd to party with the fans. It was just about then that the “non-conservative” crowd got loud and rowdy; just in time for the big finish.

The Blind Boys of Alabama introduced the band members, with solos by each player included, and then had a great instrumental finale. After the crowd chanted “We want ‘em back” they returned for a quick encore. The on-stage chemistry makes this ensemble a musical marvel! Jimmy Carter closed the evening saying, “We hope we sang something that made you feel like you never felt before. That’s what we try to do.” They tried and they succeeded. After a night watching the Blind Boys of Alabama in action, there is only one way to sum up that Friday at the Skipperdome: “Impressive.”