On the heels of her sold-out performance last year at Strathmore, fans will be able to treat themselves to a helping of soul diva Patti LaBelle as, once again, she fills the concert hall. In back-to-back concerts this Friday and Saturday, LaBelle belts out her signature tune in the acoustically impeccable venue.
“I can’t wait,” LaBelle said. “Strathmore is an amazing venue and I always have a good time there. I’ll have my full band and that’s a total of 10 musicians, including my background singers.”
LaBelle, with such chart-topping standards as “New Attitude” and “If You Asked Me To” under her belt, assures her audiences the creme de la creme of hits.
| Onstage |
| Patti LaBelle |
| » Where: Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda |
| » When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday |
| » Info: $35 to $120; 301-581-5100; strathmore.org |
“You will definitely hear many classics … and of course, ‘Over the Rainbow’ is a staple at my concerts,” she enthused. “But most importantly, you’ll hear good music! I sing, and have always sung all different styles of music and I love it all!”
Indeed. LaBelle, at the urging of her mother, grew up singing in a local Baptist choir in Philadelphia. She tells the following story of those early days:
“When the choir director heard my voice, he said, ‘You’re not gonna sing back there!’ My first solo was ‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus,’ and the audience stood up. And that’s when I knew I could go on as a solo performer.”
Audiences have been standing up for LaBelle ever since. With her group, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebells, hers was the first black act ever to appear at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House where they premiered their iconic single, “Lady Marmalade.” With a total of 14 Grammy nominations to her credit, she is most proud of her induction into the Apollo Theater Legends Hall of Fame, as well as her BET and Songwriter’s Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement awards. She is working on a jazz album, which she hopes to release soon.
Years ago, in response to a critic who said she sings too loudly, LaBelle told ABC’s Joan Lunden, “I’m not a loud person — I just happen to have a big mouth; and I can’t sing like a little baby. I’m a big woman, and when I open my mouth it just comes out big.”
And, no doubt, big enough to fill every cranny in Strathmore’s hall this weekend.
