"You don't know who you're messin' with," declared Al Green, mock posturing early during his set earlier tonight at the Emerald Queen Casino. Then he let loose with one of those trademark, falsetto wails, proving that at 62 his voice is still as pristine and arresting as it was during his '70s heyday. Of course, these days his shows have a more religious vibe than they did back then. "We came here to rock the house," Green said at one point. But we're gonna have to let God go first." He tossed copious amounts of roses to the ladies in the audience, and erupted in spontaneous fits of rump shakin', showing he's still having a blast after all these years. And his set included lots of old favorites ("Let's Stay Together," "Tired of Being Alone," "Love and Happiness"); impressive new songs (The title track and "Stay With Me (By the Sea)" from his phenomenal new album, "Lay It Down"); and a few covers (including gospel standard "Amazing Grace," The Temptations' "My Girl," The Four Tops' "I Can't Help Myself (Sugarpie, Honeybunch) and Otis Redding's "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay.") My only complaint is that his set was a bit on the short side. The soul legend delivered about an hour of immaculate material. And I just knew he'd be back for "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)". But nope! The lights came up right away, and there was no encore. Still, it was easily one of the best shows I've seen this year.
ERNEST A. JASMIN