SFJAZZ presents Blind Boys of Alabama, with opener, Jon Cleary
Robert M. Miner Auditorium
SFJAZZ Center, 205 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA
7:30 PM, Thursday, July 25, 2024

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[7:31 PM] {Welcome from Greg Stern}
[7:33 PM] {applause for entrance of Jon Cleary}

1. [7:33 PM] (New Orleans-flavored improvisation)
2. [7:36 PM] I Ain't Mad At You (Huey Smith)
3. [7:39 PM] When You Get Back (Jon Cleary)
4. [7:43 PM] Moonburn (Jon Cleary)
   [7:45 PM] {applause; JC introduces the next tune as his hit from the 'Treme' TV show}
5. [7:46 PM] Frenchmen Street Blues (Jon Cleary)
   [7:51 PM] {applause; JC introduces the next tune as over 100 years old}
6. [7:51 PM] The Crave (Jelly Roll Morton)
7. [7:53 PM] Po' Boy Blues (Jon Cleary) » [7:57 PM] {false ending} » Po' Boy Blues (reprise)
   [7:58 PM] {applause at set end}

[8:20 PM] {applause at band entrance; dead air}
[8:23 PM] {Introduction of the Blind Boys (offstage voiceover for about a minute while the band begins to play)}

1. [8:23 PM] Do Lord (Remember Me)
   [8:24 PM] {end voiceover}
2. [8:28 PM] People Get Ready (Curtis Mayfield)
3. [8:31 PM] Spirit in the Sky (Norman Greenbaum)
   [8:34 PM] {greetings}
4. [8:35 PM] God Knows Everything (John B Leventhal & Marc Cohen)
5. [8:41 PM] I Can See
   [8:45 PM] {talk about the history of the group}
6. [8:46 PM] Nobody's Fault But Mine
7. [8:50 PM] I'm a Soldier in the Army of the Lord
8. [8:52 PM] Way Down in the Hole (Tom Waits)
9. [8:56 PM] God Is Real (Kenneth Morris)
   [9:02 PM] {add Jon Cleary at keyboard}
10. [9:02 PM] Uncloudy Day
    [9:06 PM] {lauding JC}
11. [9:06 PM] Friendship (Homer Banks & Lester Snell) »
    [9:12 PM] {drop JC} »
12. [9:12 PM] Heaven Help Us All (Ronald Norman Miller)
13. [9:15 PM] Work Until My Days Are Done
14. [9:20 PM] Amazing Grace (House of the Rising Sun)
15. [9:28 PM] Send It on Down
    [9:36 PM] {applause at set end}
    
    Encore
    [9:37 PM] {band back out for an encore; brief promo for BB-sponsored festival in ATL}
16. [9:38 PM] Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder)
    [9:49 PM] {final applause; show ends}

Blind Boys of Alabama

• Sterling Glass: vox;
• Matt Hopkins: organ;
• Eric “Ricky” McKinnie: vox;
• Austin Moore: drums;
• Tracy Pierce: bass;
• John W. Smith: vox;
• Joey Williams: guitar, vox.

• Jon Cleary: upright piano, keyboard, vox.

Well if you needs your spirit lifted, attending a show by the Blind Boys of Alabama is just the ticket! I'm certainly sad to see the older guys pass on, but I'm happy to say that the current group is carrying on the tradition with verve and fire! Go see 'em, you'll be glad you did!

Big thanks to Ting for the photo gallery!

Whoa! This section is incomplete for now, sorry!

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2024 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2024 event list! ☸ On to the next event!