Mavis stands, Mavis speaks

ColumbusGal and I had the good fortune to see Mavis Staples last night, I believe she's 76 (a whippersnapper compared to Angela Lansbury's 89) and of course we loved it.

Mavis apologized for sitting down (you'd think by now she'd know to never apologize--hasn't Bill Clinton taught us anything?), noting she'd had two knee replacements.

Big deal. That put her in the mean of her audience which probably had an average of two knees and a hip.

C'est la vie. The only real glitch had to do with her repeatedly talking about being in Columbus. About half way through her set she said somebody had told her she was in New Albany, and so she apologized again.

New Albany is a mobile home park community established outside of Columbus about 30 years ago by Les Wexner, a developer known throughout California and the rest of the West Coast and surely all of the East Coast above D.C., and it's really taken off. They could even afford to build the pole barn for the performance. Good for Les.

The thing is, nobody in New Albany can be expected to dance or shout, and Mavis needed dancing and shouting. ColumbusGal obliged, almost solo, although there was a sweet young thing about four rows from the stage who let the spirit move her--and was promptly asked to step to the aisle.

We love you, Mavis, and your daddy too. Just don't ask us to witness too much.