When the orchestral bang that signifies the opening for Anita Baker’s R&B classic “Sweet Love” kicked off about three songs into her sold-out Farewell Tour Saturday night at The Fox Theatre, she herself got swept up in the groove. With moves that were equal parts musical conductor and slow jam free form, Baker whisked from the center of the stage to stage left and back again. By the time she made it back to the microphone to sing the first lyrics after the extended intro, fans beat her to the punch.
She stepped back and gave them the floor. They sang every word from beginning to end – the chorus and bridge included. The gesture put Baker in her feelings. “Y’all even sang my ad libs,” Baker said as she tried to hold back her tears. “You went to the top of the octave.” She took a moment to reciprocate the tremendous outpouring of love that fans showed her for her first return to St. Louis in nearly 25 years.
“With every show that we do, we end up doing them twice because we have to add a show when the first show sells out,” Baker told the crowd at the first of her two sold-out performances playing The Fox Theatre this weekend. “And we end up doing every song twice, because you get to have one – which you just did – and now we’re going to do one.”
Baker then dove right into her “Sweet Love” do over. It wouldn’t be an isolated incident as fans – and Baker herself – seemed on the verge of a religious experience thanks to her blessing the stage one last time on stage before she bids the industry goodbye. She announced her retirement from the music industry last year. After an outpouring from fans, she decided to give a parting gift in the form of a final tour.
She couldn’t even remember the last time she had been to St. Louis. “That’s right, it’s ‘Been So Long,’” Baker laughed as she repeated a fan’s witty response that incorporated a song from her 35-plus year catalog. Later in the performance another fan came forward and handed Baker a napkin. “February 10, 1995,” Baker read aloud. It was the last time she was in St. Louis. “Were you there?” Baker asked the gentleman. He nodded. “Oh, thank you – oh, bless you,” Baker said, blowing him kisses as he made his way back to his seat.
The audience was almost exclusively African-American, but they represented various age groups, backgrounds and even regions as they caught Baker in the flesh for what she says is the final time.
“How many of you came from out of town?” Baker asked the crowd. A surprisingly loud number of screams came from the crowd. She then shared the story of a woman she referred to as Ms. Pickett, whom Baker met in the airport during her red eye flight to St. Louis.
“She told me, ‘I don’t fly at night, but I did tonight just so I could come to St. Louis and see you,’” Baker said. “Then she got out of her wheelchair, walked over to me and hugged my neck.” She asked Ms. Pickett if she could identify herself, and she did – from way up in the balcony. “Oh, we’ve got to get you down closer,” Baker said. Baker asked ushers to make a seat for her down front. They brought her downstairs and she enjoyed the rest of the show from the third row.
The authentic exchanges between Baker and the audience were as memorable as the performance itself, which didn’t disappoint her fans – even if they got the short end of the stick as far as musical selections. She only performed a dozen songs and seemed keen on 1986’s “Rapture” album. There was no reference whatsoever to the “Rhythm of Love ” album – which spawned the hits “I Apologize” and “Body and Soul.” They wouldn’t get to sing along to her classics “Angel,” “Good Love” or “The Best Thing Yet” either, but it didn’t seem to matter.
They were so caught up – in the rapture if you will – of Baker’s high energy performance and impressive vocals. When one hears “farewell” in the title of a tour, even if hoping and praying for the best, can’t help but prepare for an artist to be on their last leg. Baker made it clear with her opening selection, a cover of LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade,” that this was not the case for her.
The song seemed an unlikely fit for Baker, that is until she started in on it. She danced around and sang the selection in its purest form, with her signature jazz influenced contralto vocals working surprisingly well with the fast-paced disco classic.
Baker was chattier than expected – which perhaps had a hand in the abbreviated set list – but the band, led by famous band leader Ray Chew, and Baker worked overtime to give fans an unforgettable final live show memory.
Baker told fans that Chew was one of the reasons she was on stage performing for them. She listed several of his accomplishments as a television musical maestro, including The Academy Awards and ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars.” She encouraged applause on his behalf as she sat beside him to sing “Just Because” – which served as an in memoriam to several entertainers the world lost in recent years.
“Rapture,” “No One In The World,” and “Same Ole Love,” were among the other selections Baker performed before her “Fairy Tales” finale.
“All we’ve got are a bunch of old love songs,” Baker said. “Is that alright?”
“Keep ‘em coming,” a fan shouted out at the top of his lungs.
