Live music is a rarity to be cherished during these trying times. What can I say about vibrant performers Sue King, of the band Triage, her shirt adorned with cherries, on guitar and vocals, and Sheila Morgan, sporting devil’s horns and kinky boots in honor of what would have been Halloween Party weekend, on vocals and tambourine, sharing the stage and more than a dozen-and-a-half songs at Cherry’s on the Bay on September 26, but: loved it!
They began with a heartfelt and rousing “Love the One You’re With” and an affectionate, lively “What I Like about You.” Sheila voiced a lofty ambition to be a star in “Drive My Car” and the women’s steamy “Heat Wave,” the Martha and the Vandellas song, took Sheila up into the vocal stratosphere. After “Refugee,” our artists coped with a difficult love in “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” and Sue probed a contrary love in “Maggie May.” A more down-to-earth love was their focus in “Forever in Blue Jeans,” much of Sheila’s part in legit soprano.
“Come to My Window,” Sue and Sheila, yearning, invited, with some of the audience joining in singing the Melissa Etheridge song. Sheila gave us the history of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller’s “Hound Dog,” originally written for Black rhythm-and-blues great Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, about giving a no-good gigolo the boot, before our singers continued with their cathartic performance.
In songs that brought me back to my youth, there were lots of high notes for Sheila—and for many of the rest of us, sotto voce—in the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There,” followed by a seductive “(I’m your) Venus (I’m your fire).” Sue and Sheila lightly limned Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and paid tribute to Halloween in an understated “Spooky (little girl like you).” They securely strutted their assets in “Brass in Pocket (I’m special, so special)” and sang popular Indigo Girls anthem “Closer to Fine” with fervor.
With great feeling, Sue and Sheila saluted the many essential “Heroes” of 2020, who have kept us going. An energetic “What’s Up,” with sing-along, was the finale and “(What’s so funny ‘bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” and “Ramble On” were the welcome encores.
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