There’s one word to describe Sharon Jones and it is this: LEGEND. After cancelling her tour last year for cancer treatment, this Massey Hall show felt extra triumphant and jubilant.
As a vocal powerhouse and charismatic frontwoman, Jones was the star of the show. But that isn’t to say that The Dap-Kings are just a backing band. A collective of talent themselves, the band opened and closed the show without Jones on the mic, and roused the crowd to their feet.
Supporting their latest release, Give the People What They Want (which was also delayed due to Jones’ illness. It was released January 2014), Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings performed cuts from that album, including “Retreat!,” “Making Up and Breaking Up,” “People Don’t Get What They Deserve” and “Get Up and Get Out,” though slightly different than the album’s version. Jones explained that they would “start it off slow and then take it a bit faster.”
The high-energy show included Jones inviting audience members up to the stage to dance with her on multiple occasions. There was also an extended musical breakdown during “People Don’t Get What They Deserve,” where Jones exuberantly demonstrated different dance moves from the 60’s before introducing each member of the Dap-Kings.
In a tender moment, Jones told the audience how grateful she was for their support, talking about her bout with cancer and beating it, and her friends and family’s concern for her eagerness to get back on tour so soon after her recovery. The cheers were loud and sincere when Jones proclaimed she was now cancer-free, and that she knew she had to get back out there, for her fans.