Effortless is a word that comes to mind when describing the array of sounds and emotions that flow from the pipes of legendary soul music legend Chaka Khan. From her early days with genre-bending Chicago-based funk/rock outfit Rufus through her colorful solo career, Khan, now 62, has garnered heaps of awards, praise and props. And a loyal fanbase. A very, very loyal fanbase. If the loud, raucous throng that assembled at St. Petersburg's Mahaffey Theater on Friday night is any indication, Khan's appeal and her charisma haven't waned one bit over her more than 40-year musical career.
A nearly sold-out house eagerly awaited the appearance of the versatile and charming chanteuse Khan, who appeared without the aid of an opening act. About 20 minutes after the scheduled start time of 8 p.m., Khan's seven-piece started to assembling onstage. Slowly, beginning with a drummer who took his place at his kit at the rear of the stage and pounded out a funky beat, the music began to build and take shape as guitarist, bassist, keyboard player and three lovely and powerful female backup singers laid their individual parts on an introductory version of the 1979 Rufus song "Do You Love What You Feel."
As the full band hit their stride, the star attraction emerged. Like a prizefighter making a grand entrance into the ring, the compact dynamo that is Khan strutted onstage sporting an ear-to-ear grin. Dressed in a charcoal gray sparkly flowing blouse, leggings and thigh-high boots, the still gorgeous Chaka and her recognizable wavy reddish locks drew an instant standing ovation beneath a blazing spotlight. And then she sang.
And, boy did she sing her heart out. Shifting gears faster than a vintage muscle car, Khan's still razor-sharp vocals alternated from high to low, from a whisper to a scream in an instant, and filled every crevice of the lovely theater for the duration of the program.
A brief dip into an abridged version of her 1984 breakout Prince-penned tune, "I Feel For You," indicated that this was not to be a hits-only setlist. Truth be told, it seemed like Khan's intent was more to touch on material that her more loyal fans would recognize. And, amazingly, most responded in kind when she dug deep into her catalog. Perfectly illustrating this theory was Khan's letting the recognizable MTV-era hit morph into a version of obscure 1974 Rufus track "I'm A Woman (I'm A Backbone)." Talk about throwing the diehards a bone!
As she gladly announced — "We're gonna do the ’70s ... up until now" — when describing the route the program would take, she didn't lie (and, as she recently told me during a phone interview, she carefully puts together her choice of songs to sing live in concert). And, of course, she was met with one of the night's many rousing rounds of applause, screams, cheers and hollers when stating that. Showered with plenty of passionate "I LOVE YOU CHAKA!" calls, Khan returned the pleasantries in kind, responding with "I love you too, baby" and puckered lips.
Alternating between funky numbers and ballads, Khan dazzled at every stop along the way of the musical roadmap she charted. Egging on lovers to slow dance in the aisles to a particularly emotive reading of her 1984 torch song "Through The Fire" or prompting a non-stop frenzy of spontaneous grooving to the title track of her 1981 album What Cha' Gonna Do For Me, Khan had one motive in mind on Friday night: entertaining. And that she did for the duration of her phenomenal 100-minute performance.
Her cheerful pacing turned serious when she introduced "Love Me Still" and announced that the tender ballad was actually inspired by a nephew who is autistic. Her delivery on this gut-wrenching number was the highlight of the night. Atop a lonely stool at the lip of the stage, Khan gazed off into the distance throughout the song and dug deep into her vast range to unleash an absolutely awe-inspiring display of her greatest gift: her unmistakable and distinctive voice.
A costume change gave her spectacular band a chance to shine again as they sailed through some of Chaka's material alone. Her three backup singers, no slouches at all, traded off verses that would normally be belted by Khan and showed off their differing yet equally viable bids for solo stardom throughout the intermission.
Returning in a burgundy-colored outfit, Khan emerged refreshed and ready to tackle a second act that featured some heavy hitters. Before spontaneously belting an a cappella version of "Happy Birthday" to a fan in the third row who'd announced it was her special day, Khan led the eager crowd through a funky rendition of the Rufus classic "Tell Me Something Good" and a sing-along of her 1978 anthemic "I'm Every Woman," which had every woman (and man) on their feet.
An encore of the 1983 Rufus classic "Ain't Nobody" found Chaka sharing the stage with a limber dancer who was called up from the audience. Donning a shimmery silver halter top bearing Khan's likeness and matching genie pants, the dancer had what seemed to be a carefully rehearsed routine down pat as the band and Chaka chugged along.
As it's been years since Chaka Khan graced a local stage, based on the strong turnout and the spectacular performance she delivered, hopefully her fans won't have to wait too long until she returns to dazzle us with more of her timeless, undeniable talent and presence.
Set List:
Do You Love What You Feel
I Feel For You/I'm A Woman (I'm A Backbone)
Pack'd My Bags
You Got The Love
Papillon (AKA Hot Butterfly)
What Cha' Gonna Do For Me
Through The Fire
Please Pardon Me (snippet)
Love Me Still
Angel
Stay
Sweet Thing
intermission
Somebody's Watching You (band only)
And The Melody Lingers On (Night In Tunisia) (band only)
My Funny Valentine
Tell Me Something Good
I'm Every Woman
encore
Ain't Nobody
