It was all a bit of a ghostly trip. We wore our masks, even though we are fully vaxxed. The train was pretty much empty. Late afternoon empty, but even emptier. And the streets of the city were deserted. So many boarded up spaces. So many missing businesses. So many missing pedestrians. There was a deep emptiness in every step. Not exaggerating. There was a profound void in the city streets that seemed to expand and swallow up what used to be there.
The theater is located in a big city mall. Totally empty except for one lonely hair salon. We trekked up the stairs to the little black-box theater spaces. Big empty theater. 5 lonely souls seated and waiting for a late afternoon movie. They renovated the space. The cramped theater seats are now plush barcalounger-type seats. I refused to push the button. Reclining back in a barcalounger just seems so uncool.
What did we see?
"Summer of Soul (... Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)" (2021) a totally fabulous film directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson. 1969 in Harlem, NYC. A pivot point in our culture. A pivot point for "Black" America. A pivot point for the music of our lives.
Just totally knocked us out. So many great performances: Mahalia Jackson, Mavis Staples and the Staples Singers, Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, the 5th Dimension, B.B. King, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Hugh Masekela. Astonishing.
A vanished time. But, still, so many resonances with today. A history of where we've been and where we are now, and well, maybe where we're going. Racial injustice. Violence. Drug abuse. Fighting in the streets. Protest. Hope. Joy. Craziness. Beauty. Music. Inspiration. Soul. Blues. Funk. Community. The amazing, contradictory human story. Essential viewing. No doubt.