Monday, July 31, 2000
Coors Light Festival rocks to rain-drenched close
By Larry Nager
The Cincinnati Enquirer
As rain drenched Cinergy Field Sunday night, the 2000 Coors Light Festival had a wet finish to match its start.
Closer Chaka Khan ignored the weather, but her sophisticated R&B hits such as “Tell Me Something Good,” were sung to the backs of the fleeing crowd.
Sunday's lineup was a scaled-down version of Saturday's heavy-hitting talent. Ms. Khan took Patti LaBelle's spot as diva du jour, while Gerald Levert stood in for Frankie Beverly, and the Whispers filled the soul group slot that the Temptations held on Saturday.
The crowd was scaled down as well, with attendance little more than a third of Saturday's 32,000 (Friday's younger show drew around 28,500, o fest producer Joe Santangelo said). But instead of the usual lowkey, post-party mood, this Sunday show had a distinct Saturday-night feel.
For the hometown touch, there was P. Ann Everson-Price and her All Star Band. She opened the show at 7:30, half an hour ahead of the advertised starting time. Ignoring the fact there were only a few people trickling in during her 25-minute show, she ripped into such classics as the Staple Singers' “I'll Take You There” as if the stadium was packed. At past fests, Sunday has featured contemporary jazz, and Boney James carried that torch this year. He led his tight band though 50 minutes of jazz/funk grooves, hard-blowing tenor sax and a wistful “Ain't No Sunshine” played on soprano.
Then it was time to get down to the vintage soul that defines the Coors Light Festival. The Whispers, reduced to a trio after member Nicholas Caldwell became ill at a Friday concert, opened with “The Beat Goes On” (not Sonny & Cher's) and continued with a high-energy 45 minutes that sleekly moved through several decades of hits. Mr. Levert, a Cleveland native, followed, blending R. Kelly bump-n-grind with the satiny seduction of Barry White and the sexual healing of Marvin Gaye.
But his set wasn't just an R&B party, as the heavyset singer bravely changed the mood with his recent, highly personal songs of bitter betrayal and divorce.
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