The show started off slowly as the Dap Kings tried to coax us off our grass-padded asses, but nearly everyone ignored them. After most of their extra-tight soul-blues set, they brought some crazy-dancing, middle-aged women onstage to get more people on their feet. It kinda worked. Here’s to you, windmill lady.

After a take-five, Sharon Jones came out and it got nuts. She got down, dirty, and shoeless & rocked out immediately. Then she did a funky dance homage to her culture & heritage. She also busted out “How Do I Let A Good Man Down?”, her NYC commercial cover song, “This Land Is Your Land”, and “My Man Is A Mean Man”.

But she was looking for a “young man” for “Take Love Easy”, and that young man turned out to be me. So I went up onstage, and she gave me a lesson in life, love, and slow groovin’. Then she “played Cupid” and brought up my significant other and we acted out the lyrics and danced for everyone. Ridiculously fun and cool. The MFA’s courtyard was kind of a stuffy place for a soul/jazz/funk/blues set, but at least we had fun. Tons, in fact.