JULY 13
Soul, Gospel and Funk Night

It was Soul, Gospel and Funk Night in the Stravinski Auditorium. Over the last 20 years, the Blues Brothers Band has seen many changes. After being discovered on the Saturday Night Live Show in the late Seventies, the group split up after the death of founder, John Belushi. In 1988 they got back together for a world reunion tour, and have recorded several albums since, including "Blues Brothers 2000" released only last year.

Last evening the band brought a special guest to Montreux: legendary soul singer Eddie Floyd! He and the group opened up the show with "Green Onions," "Peter Gunn" and "Soul Finger," and ended with the classic, brass powerhouse "Soul Man." For the encore, in true Akroyd-Belushi spirit, eleven "Blues Brothers" in dark suits, white shirts, black ties and dark Raybans took to the stage for "Nassau Everybody."

After set change, Montreux audiences were blessed with the presence of The Reverend Al Green and his band. An eight time Grammy award winner, Green originally found his way to success in 1968 with the R&B standard "Back Up the Train." He took the stage in a stylish white tuxedo and tie, singing with the deep and soulful voice that has made him famous. With a warm and upbeat manner that he most surely brings from his performances at the Full Gospel Tabernacle (a church that he founded in Tennessee in 1976) he addressed the Stravinski crowd as if all 3,000 or so were old friends. Throughout the evening he stopped his three back-up singers and prompted the audience to sing along, saying "I can't hear you.." and "Hallelujah! Now that sounds good!..." His set list, which included songs like "Amazing Grace," reflected the gospel sound he incorporated into his repertoire in the 1980's.

Multiple times during the performance Green walked down into the audience under the down and centerfill CQ-2s. FOH Mixer Dave Dennison said he was happy and relieved that, during these off-stage jaunts, the CQ's remained stable with no feedback and plenty of gain.