As promised, here’s Al Green. Doing “People Get Ready”! This performance is downright bananas, with the always-ready-for-an-ad-lib Green hamming it up something serious as he wanders right off the stage for a few handshakes and hugs. For the longest time it’s so, uh, off-the-cuff and giggly that if I didn’t know the Rev was the Rev I might think he was tipsy a tad loosened up. (”I need just a little more cord”!) Then in the final 30 seconds the spirit (and not a little James Brown, check the shoulder moves) gets in him and he shakes the rhythm and soul right outta that microphone. After the jump, you can hear a more composed Mr. Green’s take on “A Change Is Gonna Come.” That one made me a little sniffly (unrelated to my flu).

Al Green – “People Get Ready” [YouTube]
Al Green – “A Change Is Gonna Come” [YouTube]