ALLEN TOUSSAINT at Austin City Limits TV Show Taping 6-30-09

Well, it's not often you get the chance to see a living legend. Let alone in a small room. The ACL taping held at the KLRU studio holds 320. Stadium seating on 3 sides and perfect acoustics.
Allen Toussaint is 71 years old but his voice sounds like he's 17. Still that silky, creamy, smooth tenor. That was the first thing I noticed. He just doesn't sound like he could possibly be 71. As far as piano playing goes, you don't need me to tell you. His list of songs written, my gosh, "Southern Nights," "Working On A Coal Mine," "A Certain Girl," "Pain In My Heart." Producer for Dr. John, Patti LaBelle. Collaborated with Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.
This show was so different from the only other taping I've attended, the Heartless Bastards. Allen put on a show. No starting and stopping, trying to out think the songs. He just let it rip. He has a 7 piece band including a horn player along with a percussionist, drummer, 3 guitars and him.
They played 2 solid hours without a break. I would hate to be the editor who has to trim this down to either an hour or 1/2 hour. Not sure how long his segment will be. I hope the entire hour. He and this show deserve it.
He's a master storyteller, did songs from his entire career, including his new one which just came out called "The Bright Mississippi." This was a night of rhythm and blues at it's finest and as he said "everything I do is gonna get funky." He killed on a cover of Paul Simon's "American Tune." The piano solos throughout the evening, one of which was a medley of all kinds of American music from the 20's up to the present, were stunning.
Near the end he did a song and the audience just started snapping their fingers to the rhythm. One person started and before you knew it, the whole room was on it. When he realized, he stopped to listen and said "wow, you have no idea how great it is to hear a room full of finger snapping. I want me some of that."
I can't tell you how much I will treasure being at this show. One for the ages. Also in the audience having a great time was Marcia Ball.