Joss Stone, Anthony Hamilton wow Fair St. Louis crowds
Fair St. Louis, or what might have been referred to as the Soul Edition of Fair St. Louis, unraveled Friday and Saturday nights at Soldiers Memorial Plaza with performers Joss Stone and Anthony Hamilton.
The setting at Soldiers Memorial Plaza was new, forced by Levee flooding. But the soul coming from the two artists was definitely from the old school.
The funky concerts, both followed by fireworks displays, were easy homeruns for the Fair St. Louis committee.
–Anthony Hamilton, July 5 at Fair St. Louis
Hamilton has always been a little firecracker of a performer, and Saturday was no exception. Hamilton, whose style is reminiscent of R&B greats such as Bobby Womack and Bill Withers, fired straight from the soul with “Charlene,” “Coming From Where I’m From,” and “Sista Big Bones.”
He introduced his wife Tarsha McMillian, who was allowed her own two-song set with “Second to Nothing” and “Reaching Out.” Ashes Clay assisted Hamilton on a new tune flavored with hip-hop called “Cool,” from an upcoming CD.
Hamilton introduced another new song, “The Point of It All,” and expressed interest in getting crowd reaction on whether it was a keeper. By the end of the first verse he had the enthusiastic crowd in his hands with the romantic number.
During the ballad “Can’t Let Go,” a man seated in the VIP section proposed to his woman, causing those nearby to stand and applaud their happy situation.
In the tradition of great performers, he left fans begging for more and promised a return.
– Joss Stone, July 4 at Fair St. Louis
A colleague last week said the first time he heard Stone, he thought he was listening to a 60-year-old African-American woman. Indeed, listening to the 21-year-old U.K. sensation does bring to mind a much more seasoned artist.
A svelte Stone, looking less wild child and more like a young lady, was truly a marvel Friday belting out songs from her “Introducing Joss Stone” CD such as “Tell Me ‘Bout It,” “Headturner,” and “Girl They Won’t Believe It.”
Older material included her favored White Stripes cover, “Fell in Love With a Boy” (given a sex change by Stone) along with “You Had Me” and “Right to Be Wrong.” She often mixed vintage R&B sounds with blues and even reggae.
Stone, like Hamilton on Saturday, came out into the crowd to get even closer to fans, passing out roses before saying goodnight.
Photo: Joss Stone
Kevin C. Johnson has covered the St. Louis' music and nightlife scene for the past decade. 
Missy Slay and the staff of Fair St. Louis are to be commended for the outstanding selection of these two soulful artists…one white and the other black. Both nights were perfect and the performances were wonderfully executed.
I am still impressed by the fact that these shows were free and lasted some 90 minutes. I also preferred the new venue over the Arch grounds–albeit missing the reflection of the Arch–because I liked that extra space provided by being Off the Levee. The one downside was the fencing which enclosed fairgoers and prevented an easy exit to Market to view the fireworks display. Luckily for me and my group, a set of wire cutters quickly did the trick and gave access to us and the throngs of people who followed. Seriously though, there should be more entrances/exits particular on the Market Street side, especially if the fireworks start immediately after the artist exits the stage. I don’t think that the transition was taken into consideration by Missy and her staff. Unlike the Arch Grounds …we do have to move in order to get into view of the display. Other than this though, it was great…unless you consider waiting in line for 40 minutes for a funnel cake only to then learn you needed to be in another 40 minute line to actually buy a token to be used to purchase the funnel cake. The parking and access to parking was another benefit to being Off the Levee too because it was closer and more readily available.