St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 11

3 2 1 t99! 20 ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 1992 REVIEWS 4k Abdul: The Eyes Feast, The Ears Snack ROCK 0 3 i 5 By Louise King There was a real party atmosphere at Riverport Amphitheatre on Friday night, but it had less to do with the quality of the songs being performed than with the fact that the headliner, Paula Abdul, was celebrating her 30th birthday and St. Louis was throwing her one heck of a shindig to mark the occasion. True, the fans were ecstatic over the artful presentation by the onetime LA Lakers cheerleader, but no one seemed to mind that the glitz, glamour and spectacle to a great extent overshadowed the music. Like so many other acts of her generation, Abdul has made it on the basis of her looks, innate sensuality and savvy marketing skills rather than real talent at least as a singer.

She has a limited range and, on Friday night, had more luck with the uptempo tunes such as "Straight Up" and "Spellbound" than the ballads. Nevertheless, the pint-sized performer can dance up a storm, and her striking and innovative choreography provided some of the evening's most memorable moments. In addition, she has surrounded herself with one of the most talented touring companies ever to set foot on a concert stage. It was hard to tell just how many dancers were backing her up, because they made almost as many costume changes as Abdul herself. The costumes, which ranged from surreal to contemporary, were a show in themselves calculated, like every other aspect of the concert, to keep the attention of the youngest member of the audience.

Color Me Badd, a four-member vocal group from Oklahoma City, opened the show with a set that combined hip-hop harmonies with raw funk appeal. There was plenty of dancing from these guys, too, but what was most impressive was their ability to sing just as well with their seven-piece band, acoustically or a cappella. lit 1 7 6.J')!i 7TN 1 0 Jm rz Is Paula Abdul Odell Mitchell Jr Post Dispatch Staff Zella Harrington and Arlene Miller discussing ways to improve race relations at a church dinner with Jewish and black members of different congregations. 'Indigo Girls' Are Merely Light Blue Churches FOLK By John Burnes Toward the end of Friday's concert by the modern folk duo Indigo Girls, Emily Saliers came out by herself and sang a new song she had written, "Fare Thee Well." It was significant because it hinted at the musical depth and sophistication the two performers Saliers and Amy Ray could achieve but haven't yet. Friday's performance at the Fox Theatre also featured recent MTV darling Matthew Sweet and newcomer Gerard McHugh.

This Indigo Girls performance my first wasn't really about strong music. Saliers is clearly the more talented singer and songwriter of the two: Her vocalizing and her songs were more adventurous and sophisticated than those of Ray. But even Saliers' music, except "Fare Thee Well," didn't stick with me long after the show was over. off of: Few melodies reached beyond the octave range, and I only heard a couple of modulations all night long. Not that those machinations are the epitome of sophistication, but they do allow performers many new areas to explore.

Deeper, more satisfying music is where the duo should head, to go along with the introspective lyrics they already have. Still, Indigo Girls was practically a godsend, compared to Sweet. Many teen-agers came to the show to see Sweet rock through "Girlfriend," his one hit so far. But what came from the stage was 40 minutes of intentionally distorted noise, drowned vocals and an attitude that didn't seem to care whether anyone had come to see him and his band. The only rousing cheer he received was when Saliers and Ray came on stage to add, thankfully, a soft feminine edge to his material.

I suspect that wasn't the point, for there was another factor more at play here the duo's messages of affirmation, respect and sincerity. And, if anything, an Indigo Girls performance displays quite persuasively just how powerful simplicity can be. The duo sang beautifully together, whether the harmony was parallel or contrapuntal. They performed beyond that of their mostly unchallenging material, which created some nice moments, especially on "Ghost," "Love Will Come to You" and "Let It Be Me" (all from the current release) and "Rites of Passage" and "Watershed" (from the last one). A fuller background, including bass, drums, violin and cello, filled out the arrangements agreeably but never got in the way (except for a bass drum that was amplified too aggressively).

But there wasn't much there to play tion with Washington Metropolitan had helped break down racial barriers. "When people get to know each other, and they talk and work together, then the issue of racism becomes less threatening," she said. "I've made a lot of good friends. And I think that's what's exciting." Carter, of Washington Metropolitan, said she thought it was important for churches to be helping their communities. "Religion through the centuries has gotten bad press," she said.

"People say you don't follow what you preach." She also stressed the importance of whites and blacks taking meaningful action together. "As a person of color, I have become aware of do-gooders," Carter said. "You kind of feel that do-gooders come in with their money, leave it, jump into their Mercedes and drive off into the sunset. If someone comes up to you and says, 'Would you like to share my that means a lot more." The concrete efforts at helping youths at risk have impressed Carter, she said, and the connection with Trinity Episcopal "has been a warm and rewarding experience." From page one 1 church in the city, Washington Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion, members can appreciate Harrington's sense of urgency.

Washington Metropolitan also has been in partnership for about a year with a predominantly white church Trinity Episcopal to work against the effects of racism in the city. Washington Metropolitan, at 613 North Garrison Avenue, and Trinity, 600 North Euclid Avenue, jointly have adopted Stevens Middle School, 1033 Whittier Street. The churches support and are involved in tutoring and sports programs at the school. They also back a basketball team at Mathews-Dickey Boys' Club. Maxine Carter, a member at Washington Metropolitan active in the joint effort, stressed the importance of work and accomplishment.

"I'm elated with people not just giving monetary support, but giving moral support where we can have an impact," Carter said. In recent interviews, members of all four congregations said the impetus for the joint projects had been a deep concern about racism, violence and deterioration of living conditions in the city. Many agreed that working together wwiHNi'n'iiKm' 1 Here is the lineup for Sunday's television news Face the Nation: Jesse Jackson discuss Arkansas shows: G0V gill Clinton and rap singer Sister Souljah. This Week With David Brinkley: Secretary of 0 Channel State James A. Baker 111 discusses the nation's new Meet the press! Sen-Sam Nunn- chairman of treaties 'he Senate Armed Services Committee.

10:30 a.m., Channel 2 8:30 a.m., Channel 5 different forms" of Judaism. "They are learning about Christianity, too especially about the Presbyterian Church," he said. Gillespie and Johnson said the Presbyterian Church nationally had supported social service projects as well as communication with Jews and Muslims. But what makes a connection between a black church and a synagogue so natural is the commmon experience of discrimination, Gillespie and Talve agreed. Talve also said her congregation long had wanted to respond in a positive way to violence in the city.

Central Reform, which holds Sabbath services at the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis, 5007 Waterman Boulevard, is the only remaining Jewish congregation in the city. The Rev. William Chapman, pastor at Trinity, said his church and Washington Metropolitan had wanted to share worship services out of an interest in the different faiths. But the two churches also saw a strong need for social change, he said.

He said he and the Rev. Clarence Carr, pastor at Washington Metropolitan, had been friends for a long time. Peg Pedersen, chairwoman of the committee from Trinity that is working on the joint effort, said the interac- Teasdale Returns To Capitol By Fred W. Lindecke Missouri Political Correspondent Former Gov. Joseph P.

Teasdale returned to the Capitol last week for the first time since leaving office in 1981 and he had a lot to say. Teasdale, a Democrat defeated for re-election in 1980 by former Gov. Christopher S. Bond, returned to endorse Judi Moriarty for the Democratic nomination for secretary of state, but he offered several other positions as well. Among them, he said: Outgoing Republican Gov.

John Ashcroft "has served well." Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton "has a lot of baggage" as the Democratic candidate for president. Clinton "has an uphill battle," depending on the strength of independent presidential hopeful Ross Perot. Lt. Gov.

Mel Carnahan and St. Louis Mayor Vincent C. Schoemehl who are battling for the Democratic nomination for governor, both have asked for his support. But Teas-dale has yet to decide what to do. He added that "there is a real donny-brook in the governor's race, and it looks like it might get nasty.

And that won't have a good effect on voters." He would not like to see the Miss- '-i I -r I tuMfi I Mirrnirr tan 11 DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! Steel Security Storm Doors ProtectDecoratelnsulate mi I -JMn $150 OFF SEARS STEEL SECURITY STORM DOORS had helped break down racial and ethnic stereotyping, as well as sparked an optimism that they could, indeed, have a positive impact on problems in the city. Another reason for the joint effort is an interest in interaction with other religious traditions. Gillespie said that a special affinity tied black Christians and Jews because "both came out of slavery." He noted, "The Jewish faith comes out of the Old Testament. We feel that the basis of Christianity has been in the Old Testament, and that the New Testament is fulfillment of the law. Some of the greatest source of comfort this congregation has found is in the Psalms." The differences in beliefs about Jesus will never be resolved, he said.

"But there are so many things we have in common that this is not going to be a problem," he said. "The purpose is not for one group to win over the other." Talve said the congregations were "very careful to choose language that did not limit images of God." Gillespie and Talve said both congregations had enjoyed sharing traditions, and both wanted to continue holding joint worship services. Learning about Judaism has been "one of the positive things" about the interaction, said Ivory Johnson, Cote Brilliante's liaison for the joint project. "From a personal standpoint, I know very little, especially about the J- WINDOW GUARDS 15 OFF MANY STYLES AND COLORS AVAILABLE! Joseph P. Teasdale "My day has come and gone" ouri Democratic party adopt an abortion-rights plank in its platform.

Always an anti-abortion Democrat, he said he had noted a trend among Democratic candidates to favor abortion rights, and "I haven't figured out why." Teasdale, 56, said he was 20 pounds overweight and was "very happily practicing law and raising a family" in Kansas City. He said he missed politics and "something going on all the time" when he was in office. But he said he would never run again. "My day has come and gone." All rviliKtnm-. jrc trm Scirs regular prices unless otherwise stated, if an item is not described as reduced or special purchase, it is ai us everyday great low price which is not reduced.

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