He didn’t come on stage until one hour and 18 minutes after the official start time (and when there’s no opening act, that can seem like a forever on a hot muggy evening). But when the star of the show is singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, some things are worth waiting for.

Wonder set the tone early on for his show Wednesday night at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, telling the crowd first thing, “It’s not about me, it’s not about you. It’s about us all coming together.”

He then brought out Leo, an 18-year-old fan battling terminal cancer.

For the remainder of the night, Leo wasn’t about to give up his place sitting at the side of the Motown legend, even as Wonder awkwardly maneuvered himself back and forth from keyboard to piano.

He started off the night by dusting off “Summer Soft,” a tune from 1976’s “Songs in the Key of Life.” Wonder said he’d never done the song live before and, well, maybe that explains his underwhelming kickoff.

Luckily, he realized by the …

Continue reading Did you catch Stevie Wonder’s show? »

The Rev. Al Green had Wednesday night church service at Chastain Park Amphitheater. And Sister Etta James dropped in to give her testimony.

It was a rare treat seeing these two greats on the same concert stage, and Green and James didn’t disappoint.

James started with the blues, mixed in bit of funk (Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s “I Want to Ta Ta You Baby”) and ended with a playful dig at Beyonce before belting out her classic “At Last.”

“Where’s Beyonce?” James asked with a sly smile. “I just need to whoop her a** one time.”

James sat during her set — at 71, she’s earned that right — belting out crowd favorite “I’d Rather Go Blind,” with an earthiness that pop singer Beyonce couldn’t credibly deliver in the movie “Cadillac Records.”

The movie may have introduced James to a new generation of fans — but the feisty blues singer owned her songs and the stage during her nearly hour-long set.

When she briefly lost her place and reintroduced a song she had already performed, a member of …

Continue reading Al Green like joyous church service; Etta James testifies »