# Mavis Staples at Zellerbach Hall Auditorium, October 30, 2014

[CalPerformances](http://calperformances.org/performances/2014-15/jazz/mavis-staples.php) presents [Mavis Staples](http://mavisstaples.com/)  
2014-10-30  
[Zellerbach Hall Auditorium](http://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/)  
[U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA  ](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=U.C.+Berkeley,+Bancroft+Way+at+Telegraph+Ave,+Berkeley,+CA++&hl=en)  
8:00 PM, Thursday, October 30, 2014

[[2014-10-25|Back to the previous event]] ☸ [[:#section2014|Up to the 2014 yearbox]] ☸ [[:2014#october_events|Up to the 2014 event list!]] ☸ [[:2014:2014-11:2014-11-01|On to the next event!]]

## One Set

[8:01 PM seated; 8:08 PM lights down, announcements]

01. [8:10 PM] Come Go With Me
02. [8:14 PM] For What It's Worth
03. [8:17 PM] Slippery People  
[long break while Mavis talks about her day on campus]
04. [8:28 PM] I Like the Things About Me  
[sister Yvonne off for the rest of the show]
05. [8:32 PM] Respect Yourself
06. [8:36 PM] Can You Get To That
07. [8:40 PM] Holy Ghost
08. [8:43 PM] the Weight
09. [8:49 PM] Freedom Highway
10. [8:58 PM] We're Gonna Make It  
[all off but the trio]
11. [9:03 PM] ? (unidentified blues, sounds kinda like _St. James Infirmary_) $
12. [9:07 PM] ? (instrumental)  
[all back but Yvonne]
13. [9:13 PM] Let's Do It Again
14. [9:23 PM] I'll Take You There  
[set ends 9:37 PM]  
   
**Encore**
15. [9:39 PM] Eyes on the Prize
16. [9:45 PM] Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round  
[show ends 9:51 PM]


## Performers

* [Donny Gerrard](https://www.facebook.com/donny.gerrard): harmony vox;
* Stephen Hodges: drums, harmony vox;
* [Rick Holmstrom](http://www.rickholmstrom.com/): guitar
* [Vicki Randle](https://www.facebook.com/vickirandle.musician): harmony vox;
* [Mavis Staples](http://mavisstaples.com/): vox;
* Yvonne Staples: harmony vox;
* [Jeff Turmes](http://jeffturmes.com/): bass, $ slide guitar.

## Notes

Friggin' Andronoter/Simplenote handshake issue (and my own impatience) caused me to lose my notes on this gig... lessee what I can recreate at a few week's distance...

First off, I was really pleased to have this show on my calendar because I enjoy hearing Mavis sing, and I knew I was going to miss her set at HSB14 due to the inevitable conflict of too many good things happening at the same time. One of these days I need to check and see if an archived video stream of her set is available from the HSB website.

Secondly, I was surprised to note that Yvonne Staples, only a year or three older than baby Mavis, didn't seem to be doing all that well. She was leaning heavily on an attendant when she walked out with the other performers at the start of the show, and left after a couple tune, never to return. Mavis said something about it that made me think Yvonne has diabetic foot pain, so I can sympathize that standing for an hour or two performance would be uncomfortable.

Mavis was unusually talkative tonight, but she was also kind of incoherent -- she kept interrupting herself or drifting from one storyline to another. As best as I can tell, she'd spent part of the day participating in some sort of panel discussion regarding popular and folk music of the civil rights era with Chris Strachwitz, Linda Tillery, and other local celebrities. Mavis may have also been awarded an honorary doctorate, but I couldn't tell for sure; the main takeaway was that she was in a good mood and had enjoyed a great day in Berkeley.

The band and performance were totally awesome, but one weird thing to mention is that it seemed like the guitar and bass weren't directed through the PA. So we got really full, rich sound from the singers, with good fill from the drums, but then relatively small sound from the guitar and bass. During the band's "solo" section when the singers were offstage, this was accentuated by the performance of relatively slow, quiet blues tunes instead of scorching burners. In fact, Rick Holstrom graced us with what had to be one of the quietest guitar solos ever during his star turn, hamming it up with great facial expressions as he caressed the strings ever the less, diminishing the volume until there was only motion without sound. Interesting, but bound to be somewhat dissatisfying to folks sitting further back in the house!

So  it was another fun night. Whew! I'm glad we went!

{{tag>music Mavis_Staples Zellerbach_Hall_Auditorium Donny_Gerrard Stephen_Hodges Rick_Holmstrom Vicki_Randle Yvonne_Staples Jeff_Turmes}}

[[2014-10-25|Back to the previous event]] ☸ [[:#section2014|Up to the 2014 yearbox]] ☸ [[:2014#october_events|Up to the 2014 event list!]] ☸ [[:2014:2014-11:2014-11-01|On to the next event!]]