The Queen Ruled

My friend Jayne and I saw. The. Best. Damn. Show. Atlanta had to offer Friday night: Queen Latifah at Symphony Hall. (I hear They Might Be Giants were boring that same night. I’m not a huge TMBG fan, though.)

Queen Latifah blows the roof off the Symphony Hall joint.

I’ve been smitten with Queen Latifah’s voice since she sang her heart out in Living Out Loud — and my besmitten ears were well rewarded. Symphony Hall hash the best acoustics in the city, and Queen Latifah (and her damn fantastic band) took full advantage of the room. She sang several tunes from her new album, Trav’lin’ Light (which is well worth the download or CD purchase) and from The Dana Owens Album — blues, jazz, old-school soul, R&B. Her voice sent shivers down my spine and up my neck several times.

Partial Setlist
(in no particular order)

“Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”
“I Know Where I’ve Been”
“Georgia Rose”
“I’m Gonna Live”
“Poetry Man”
“California Dreaming”/”Masquerade”
“Trav'lin' Light”

The crowd ate her up. We jumped to our feet maybe five times during her 75-minute performance. That’s my only complaint with the show: It was too short. I could have used another hour — but I ain’t complaining.

Added bonus: Her personality was as vibrant and funny and sassy as she comes across in movies and on “Living Single.” I walked out wishing we were buddies.

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