Some moments are better experienced than explained. As I meandered through the crowd that went in every direction – including across the street – surrounding The Missouri History Museum’s Lindell entrance, I realized that Twilight Thursdays is one of those moments.
The seasonal concert series presented by the museum and Washington University that gives St. Louis musical artists a taste of how it feels to perform before a legion of fans in an outdoor arena kicked off its latest installment last week with a tribute to funk and soul icon Chaka Khan. By evening’s end, not even a hovering storm cloud that appeared ready to burst at any given moment could disturb the groove. As Chaka sang in “Through the Fire,” Cherise Louis Mason and the talented team of musicians and vocalists led by Jeremiah Allen had the audience willing to risk it all – particularly hairstyles and outfits. They seemed unbothered by the sudden cool breeze and ominous sky, and determined to get every drop of the performance that closed with the R&B classic “Ain’t Nobody.”
Who could blame them? The show was spectacular and set the bar high for the rest of the Twilight Thursdays to come – a bar that the featured artists are likely to rise to meet based on the caliber of talent on the schedule of shows that continue through May 23. Up next is Anita Jackson on May 9 with a mix of R&B throwbacks.
It will be the second Twilight Thursday in a row for Jackson, who – along with Cheryl Brown and Adrianne Felton-King – provided background vocals for Louis-Mason during the Chaka Khan tribute. Plenty of the crowd will be back for more based on the time that was had last week with the understanding that St. Louis has stars that can hold their own in any musical arena – indoors or outside. As contestants on shows like “American Idol,” “The Voice” and “X Factor” have found out the hard way, singing one Chaka Khan song can be sticky work that can instantly go left thanks to a missed key change, high note or vocal run. Khan – who is famously unimpressed, especially when it comes to covers of her songs – would have been pleased with Louis-Mason had she stopped on by to see the two sets of her biggest hits and beloved B-side tracks.
To simply say Louis-Mason has the range to sing Chaka is an injustice to the tone and phrasings she also applied to make the songs feel as if they were her own. It would also be unfair to not give flowers to the on-stage support system that helped her shine in the best way possible.
Twilight Thursdays stage manager Maurice Falls applied the same skills, care and intention he uses when he performs the same duties for some of the biggest national acts in urban music that play at a host of venues throughout the region. Jeremiah Allen was in top form as musical director – and led a band of impeccable musicians who understood that the music of Chaka Khan’s classics can be as challenging as the vocal elements. And her background vocalists – all brilliant lead singers in their own right – provided seamless harmony that blended meticulously with Louis-Mason and the band.
And while watching the crowd simultaneously engage with the performance and each other, it also became clear that Twilight Thursdays is more than just a concert. It is a concert, family reunion, all-class alumni picnic, church anniversary social and street festival all rolled into one.
As one woman sang the lyrics to “Sweet Thing” word for word while making her way through the crowd in the direction of the food truck station.
“I will love you anyway, even if you cannot stay,” she sang.
Before she could get into the second line of the verse, she walked right into a family friend.
“Girl, it’s so good to see you,” she said. “How is your sister doing?”
She hadn’t made it ten feet before she ran into someone else she knew – and then another. By the time she was able to pick back up with her singing, “Sweet Thing” was nearly over – but she was committed until the very end of her jam.
“You’re my heat, you are my fire,” she sang along to the third refrain. “You’re not mine. I can’t deny you. Don’t you hear me talkin’ baby. Love me now or I’ll go crazy.”
Missouri History Museum and Washington University’s presentation of Twilight Thursdays continues through May 23rd at the Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell (at DeBaliviere). Program takes place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, visit www.mohistory.org.
