By Paul T. Mueller
Allen Toussaint’s performance at the Miller Outdoor Theatre in Houston on June 19 was a textbook example of how to please existing fans and win new ones.
Following performances by three other acts (including a brilliant set by Austin’s Ruthie Foster), the legendary New Orleans musician took the stage after a short intro by his ace band. He spent the next hour or so filling Miller Theatre, an outdoor amphitheater in one of Houston’s oldest parks, with the distinctive rhythms and melodies of his native New Orleans.
At 76, Toussaint is a revered and beloved figure in American music, but this was no phone-it-in nostalgia gig. In addition to his skills as a songwriter and producer, he’s a tremendously gifted piano player and he put that skill to full use on a set list drawn from his extensive repertoire, including “Southern Nights,” “A Certain Girl,” “Mardi Gras Man,” “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley” and “Yes We Can Can,” among others. Toussaint has a fine voice as well, and most of his songs included his soulful singing. One notable exception was a haunting and beautiful instrumental rendition of the folk classic “St. James Infirmary,” sad and joyful at the same time.
As if the music weren’t enough (actually, it was), Toussaint also left his grand piano during one song to throw souvenirs into the crowd from the edge of the stage, in the spirit of Mardi Gras float occupants distributing beads and doubloons to the masses along the parade route.
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