American pop stars could learn a thing or two about endurance from Shreya Ghoshal. In her Twin Cities debut last week at the Ordway, the Bollywood singer, one of the most prominent celebrities in India, didn't dangle from the ceiling, change costumes or offer elaborate dance numbers. She simply sang. A lot. Other than a few numbers from an opening act and an intermission, Ghoshal was onstage for more than three hours. Concerts of that length may be customary in India, but here in the States, it's still an exception unless you're Bruce Springsteen.
NEAL JUSTIN
No Boo-hooing
"Orange Is the New Black" co-star Lea DeLaria boasted that she didn't need a hit Netflix series to fill a nightclub. No, the comedian/singer/actress who plays Big Boo has a big personality, a big mouth and some big-time musicians to back her up. Looking a bit like Drew Carey with Kim Jong Un's hairdo, DeLaria triumphed as a comedian and as a singer on Monday at the Dakota Jazz Club. One of America's first openly gay standups, she talked about Pride, politics and sex. Most of her jokes can't be published here but the crowd was consistently roaring with laughter. DeLaria did tease one friendly man sitting near the stage: "You couldn't be gayer — and then I saw how much fruit is in your drink." In her 100-minute second set, DeLaria did slowed-down treatments of David Bowie songs and proved her jazz bona fides on an exquisite reading of "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" and on the bluesy 1922 chestnut "Why Don't You Do Right (Get Me Some Money Too)." All night long, there were big cheers for Big Boo.
JON BREAM
Remember the Embers?
Asleep at the Wheel leader and co-founder Ray Benson not only has a long-tenured band (they started in 1969) but he has a long memory. On an unseasonably cool June evening Sunday at the Minnesota Zoo, he recalled a 1974 Wheel gig in the winter at Minneapolis' Cabooze bar (still in business, by the way). After the show, the band retired to an Embers (now defunct), then the most popular 24-hour restaurants in the Twin Cities. Two hour later, the Texas-based band was ready to get behind the wheel and head to the next gig. However, there was a problem: Their bus' battery was frozen. Welcome to Minnesota.
JON BREAM
Where no man has gone before
Sci-fi fans attending the "One Man Star Wars Trilogy" Saturday in St. Paul were flying their geek flags high as Canadian actor Charles Ross jammed all three of the original movies into a 70-minute show, sweating and spitting his way through dozens of impersonations and clever asides. But not everyone was blown away. Near show's end, Ross noticed a spectator at the Ordway had fallen asleep — in the front row. Ross said it was the first time in his 16 years of offering the revue that he's caught someone in such prominent seats taking a snooze. "Thanks for coming out and supporting the arts," said the good-natured Ross before diving back into the Emperor's final monologue.
NEAL JUSTIN
