Mavis Staples Wows The Crowd At The Soraya

Mavis Staples

By Darlene Donloe

At 80-years-old, Mavis Staples still knows how to wow an audience.

The gospel and R&B maven, whose voice is still rich and deep, took The Soraya stage (the valley’s Center for the Performing Arts) in a black, flowing top and slacks and proceeded to “sang” as only she can. No one warbles, growls or bends notes like Staples, who has been entertaining audiences for seven decades, most notably as part of the legendary The Staples Singers.

She said she came to Northridge “To bring joy, happiness, and inspiration and to send out positive vibrations.”  And that she did.

She opened her 90-minute set with the upbeat, crowd-pleasing, If You’re Ready, which immediately got the audience swaying back and forth.

She wrapped the audience around her finger with The Staples Singer’s hit, Are You Sure.

A playful Staples who had the audience in the palm of her hand is known for singing the soundtrack of the civil rights era. She got political several times throughout the show.

Her That Ain’t Right is haunting. The lyrics speak of seeing grown men homeless on the street and babies being taken from their mothers and being locked in cages.

“I can’t stand it,” she said.

She then jokingly or maybe not so jokingly said she was “going to the White House and pull that boy by the red tie.”  She then pretended to be holding ‘that boy’s’ tie while she pretended to slap him repeatedly.

In the end, she said she “Might run for President.” 

I’d vote for her.

MAVIS STAPLES 2020!!!

Her Change was a crowd favorite.  It’s easy to see why with lyrics like:

Fingers on the trigger around here
Fingers on the trigger around here
Bullets flying, mothers crying
We gotta change around here
Get it straight, be sure, did you hear
That it's gonna change around here

By the middle of her set, Staples let go with Respect Yourself, which, of course, became an impromptu sing-a-long.

Other highlights included Touch A Hand, Make A Friend, We Get By, and Buffalo Springfield’s For What It’s Worth.

Staples was engaging and personable. While having the audience sing some lyrics, she jokingly asked them if they were interested in going on a Northridge Accapella Choir bus tour with her.  Staples said everyone would get by on love and faith. She surmised she’d need about 75 busses for the tour.  All the crowd had to do was buy their own food.  When she heard some groans, she changed her mind and told them she’d “do all the cooking” to which everyone applauded.

Her five-piece backing band was on point. Long time guitarist Rick Holmstrom was having too much fun rocking the strings. The rest of the band included Steve Mugalian on drums, Greg Boaz on bass guitar and Sandra Williams and Donny Gerrard on background vocals, who all brought their A-Game.

Staples ended her show with, what else, her most anticipatory song, I’ll Take You There.

Son Little

Singer Son Little, the opening act, warmed up the crowd with a soul-stirring, hour-long set.