Great Performances

- Come on - Come on -Next on "Great Performances," Lyric Opera of Chicago presents "Chicago Voices," a celebration of the city's influence on musical history. Ranging from blues to jazz, folk, rock, gospel, hip-hop, and classical, by a diverse range of homegrown singers. - Summertime - And the livin' is easy -Rene Fleming hosts an all-star evening with performances from Jessie Mueller, Kurt Elling, Shemekia Copeland, Lupe Fiasco, The Handsome Family, Terrence Howard, Matthew Polenzani, John Prine, Jussie Smollett, Michelle Williams, and the voices of Trinity Mass Choir. Join us for "Chicago Voices."

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-Please welcome our host of "Chicago Voices," Rene Fleming. -Good evening, everybody. How wonderful to be here to celebrate the vibrant array of voices that have emerged from the great city of Chicago?

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Yeah. This city is built and populated by people from every corner of the Earth. And its music echoes that diversity, and the sounds created, sung, and recorded here have influenced the entire world. And lately, it seems all we see are headlines about violence and division. And we know -- we know that a concert can't solve these problems. But amidst the fear and heartbreak, we unite here as artists doing what we do best -- lifting up, remembering our history, and protecting our vision for the future of the city we love.

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Tonight, we celebrate Chicago blues, jazz, folk, rap, gospel, and classical, brought to you by some spectacular artists, each with deep roots in the Windy City. -Ladies and gentlemen, Grammy-nominated blues singer Shemekia Copeland. -Hey, Chicago! Put your hands together with me! If you sang the song The way it was written And you march along To the beat of the drum Hey! Some day soon You gonna wake up singing The battle is over But the war goes on Yeah! Everybody plays Follow the leader But what if the leader Picks up a gun Remember when you jumped To the eight o'clock whistle The battle is over But the war goes on And if you close your eyes When you hear the thunder And you cry in the rain And smile in the sun Who do you fool But me and your brother Oh, the battle is over But the war goes on

Guitar solo

Oh, put your hands together, Chicago! Whoo! If talk was money You'd be a millionaire If thoughts could kill There'd be nobody here So many thinkin' evil And talkin' jive It's only true love Keeps this world alive And if you sang the song The way it was written And you march along To the beat of the drum Some day soon You're gonna wake up singin' The battle is over But the war goes on Oh, Chicago! The battle is over But the war goes on

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Thank you so much! Thank you! -Please welcome back Rene Fleming. - Summertime And the livin' is easy Fish are jumpin' And the cotton is high Oh, your daddy's rich And your mama's good-lookin' So, hush, little baby Don't you cry One of these mornings You're gonna rise up singing Then you'll spread your wings And you'll take to the sky But till that morning There's nothin' can harm you With Daddy and Mammy Standin' by

Vocalizing

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-Please welcome Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Kurt Elling and Tony-winning Broadway star Jessie Mueller.

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-Unh! They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway They say there's always magic in the air - But when you're walkin' down the street And you ain't had enough to eat That glitter rubs right off and you're nowhere

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- They say the women treat you fine on Broadway Looking at them just Gives me the blues - 'Cause how ya gonna make some time When all you got is one thin dime? - And one thin dime won't even shine Your shoes Yeah!

Instrumental

- They say that I won't last too long on Broadway I'll catch a Greyhound bus for home They all say - But they're dead wrong, I know they are 'Cause I have earned so many scars I won't quit till I'm a star I won't quit till I'm a star On Broadway - On Broadwa-a-a-ay That was a little tune by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.

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Who, some of you may not know, they were actually best friends with another very amazing musician and very special lady. Very special and near and dear to my heart, Carole King.

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- So far away Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore? It would be so fine to see your face at my door And it doesn't help to know - That you're just time away Long ago I reached for you and there you stood Holding you again could only do me good How I wish I could But you're so far away - You are so far away - So far away Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore? It would be so fine to see your face at my door And your feet upon my floor - One more song about moving along the highway I can't say much of anything that's new - If I could only work this life out my way I would rather spend it being close to you - But you're so far away - You are so far away - You are so far away - You are so far away - So far away

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-Jessie Mueller.

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Piano playing

-Ladies and gentlemen, acclaimed gospel artist Michelle Williams and the voices of Trinity Mass Choir. - How I got over How I got over How I got over How I got over My soul looks back and wonder How I got over How I got over How I got over How I made it over How I got over You know my soul looks back And wonders how I got over Just as soon as I see Jesus The man who died for me Oh, yes, oh, yes The man who bled and suffered Who died for you and me I wanna thank him because he brought me Thank 'em 'cause he never left me Thank him because he's able 'Cause he never left me I want to sing Hallelujah I want to shout Over and over I want to thank you For all he's done for me How I got over Over, over Thank you How I got over How I got over How I got over Over My soul looks back and wonders How I got over I want to wear a diamond gem In the new Jerusalem Oh, yes, oh, yes Walk the streets of gold In a land that's never been told I'm going to view the host in white Coming over left and right Coming up from every nation To the great coronation I'm gonna sing Hallelujah I might shout this evening Over and over I want to thank you For all he's done for me How I got over Over, over My soul looks back in wonder How I got over How I got over, have you made it over? Has your soul looked back and wondered? Soul looks back in wonder How I got over, how I got over Soul looks back in wonder How I got over Over I want to thank you, thank you, Lord Thank you, thank you, Lord Thank you, thank you, Lord Thank you, thank you, Lord When I think of the goodness of Jesus And all he's done for me My soul wants to shout hallelujah Thank God for saving me I'm gonna sing Hallelujah I might shout this evening How I got over My soul looks back For all he's done for me How I got over, yeah, yeah My soul looks back in wonder My soul looks back in wonder My soul looks back in wonder My soul looks back in wonder How I got over Thank you, Lord

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-Ladies and gentlemen, tenor and Beverly Sills artist of the year Matthew Polenzani. - Be my love For no one else can end this yearning This need that you and you alone create Just fill my arms The way you've filled my dreams The dreams that you inspire With every sweet desire Be my love And with your kisses set me burning One kiss is all I need To seal my fate And, hand-in-hand We'll find love's promised land There'll be no one but you For me Eternally If you will be My love

Instrumental

And, hand-in-hand We'll find love's promised land There'll be no one but you For me Eternally If you will be My love

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-Ladies and gentlemen, alternative country duo, The Handsome Family. - From the dusty mesa Her looming shadow grows Hidden in the branches Of the poison creosote She twines her spines up slowly Towards the boiling sun And when I touched her skin My fingers ran with blood

Instrumental

- In the hushing dusk Under a swollen silver moon I came walking with the wind To watch the cactus bloom A strange hunger haunted me The looming shadows danced I fell down to the thorny brush And felt the trembling hand

Instrumental

- When the last light warms the rocks And the rattlesnakes unfold - Mountain cats will come To drag away your bones And rise with me forever Across the silent sand And the stars will be your eyes And the wind will be my hands

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-Thanks. -Please welcome to the stage rap artist Lupe Fiasco. -Hey, what they say? What they say, Chicago? Y'all feeling it?

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What they say, what they say What they say, what they say, yeah Let me hear you make some noise one time, Chi-town!

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All right, yeah! N.Z. Such a wonderful place to be. How you doing, sweetheart? We gonna get into it. N.Z. Let me tell you. Uh-huh, uh-huh, look. First got it when he was 6, he didn't know any tricks Matter of fact, first time he got on it, he slipped He landed on his hip and busted his lip For a week, he had to talk with a lisp, like this-s-s Now we can end the story right here But shorty didn't quit, it was something in the air Yeah, he said it was something so appealing He couldn't fight the feeling, something about it He knew he couldn't doubt it Couldn't understand it Branded, since the first kick flip he landed Labeled a misfit, a bandit Ka-kunk, ka-kunk, ka-kunk, his neighbors couldn't stand it So, he was banished to the park Started in the morning, wouldn't stop till after dark Yeah, when they said "It's getting late in here So I'm sorry, young man, there's no skating here" And so he kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick, push Coast, and away he rolled Just a rebel to the world with no place to go And so he kick and push, kick and push And then he kicked and he pushed, and he kick and push And he coast So come and skate with me Just a rebel looking for a place to be So let's kick And push And coast Some some noise one time.

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My man got a little older, became a better roller Yeah, no helmet, hell-bent on killing himself Is what his mama said, but he was feeling himself Got a little more swagger in his style Met his girlfriend, she was clapping in the crowd Love is what what was happening to him now He said "I would marry you But I'm engaged to these aerials and varials And I don't think this board is strong enough to carry two" She said "Bow, I weigh a 120 pounds Now, let me make one thing clear I don't need to ride yours, I got mine right here" So she took him to a spot he didn't know about Some odd-end apartment parking lot She said "I don't normally take dates in here" Security came and said "I'm sorry, there's no skating here" So he kicked and pushed, kick and push And he kicked and pushed and kick and push And he coast And away they roll Just lovers intertwined with no place to go And so they kick and push, and kick and push And they kicked and pushed and kick and push And they So come and skate with me Just a rebel looking for a place to be So let's kick Push And coast And coast, yeah Before he knew, he had a crew that wasn't no punk In they Spitfire shirts and SB dunks They would push until they couldn't skate no more Office building lobbies wasn't safe no more And it wasn't like they wasn't getting chased no more Just the freedom was better than breathing, they An escape route they used to escape out When things got crazy, they needed to break out They'd head to any place with stairs Any good grinds, the world was theirs And their four wheels would take them there Until the cops came and said "There's no skating here" So they kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick, push Coast And away they roll Just rebels without a cause with no place to go So they kick, push, kick, push, kick, push Coast So come and skate with me Just a rebel looking for a place to be So let's kick and push And coast, and coast Ma'am, ma'am If there's any sliders in the building, let me hear you make some noise one time!

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Hold up, hold up, hold up. Hold up. If the left side is in the building, left side, let me hear you make some noise!

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Hold up, hold up, hold up. If my people all the way in the back of the balcony out there, if you with us right now, make some noise!

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Let's raise it up. Let's hear that voice. Chicago voice, that voice, that voice And that kick, and that push And that coast Real My name is Lupe Fiasco. I love you, Chi-town!

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-Welcome back to the stage Jessie Mueller.

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- It's not simple to say That most days I don't recognize me That these shoes and this apron That place and its patrons Have taken more Than I gave them It's not easy to know I'm not anything Like I used be Although it's true I was never attention's sweet center I still remember that girl She's imperfect, but she tries She is good, but she lies She is hard on herself She is broken and won't ask for help She is messy, but she's kind She is lonely Most of the time She is all of this mixed up And baked in a beautiful pie She is gone But she used to be mine And it's not what I asked for Sometimes life Just slips in through a back door And carves out a person And makes you believe it's all true And now I've got you You're not what I asked for If I'm honest, I know I would give it all back For a chance to start over And rewrite an ending or two For that girl that I knew Who'll be reckless, just enough Who'll get hurt But who learns how to toughen up When she's bruised And gets used by a man who can't love And then she'll get stuck And be scared of the life that's inside her Getting stronger each day Till it finally reminds her To fight just a little To bring back the fire in her eyes That's been gone, but used to be mine Used to be mine She is messy, but she's kind She is lonely Most of the time She is all of this mixed up And baked in a beautiful pie She is gone But she used to be Mine

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-Please welcome Grammy Hall of Famer, the legendary folk singer John Prine joined by Rene Fleming. - By a fountain back in Rome I fell in love with you In a small caf in Athens You said you loved me, too - And it was April in Paris Where I first held you close to me - Rome, Georgia - Athens, Texas And Paris, Tennessee No, we're not the jet set We're the old Chevro-let set There's no Riviera In Festus, Missouri And you won't find Onassis In Mullinville, Kansas No, we're not the jet set We're the old Chevro-let set But ain't we got love

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No, We're not the jet set We're the old Chevro-let set Our steak and martinis Is draft beer with weenies Our Bach and Tchaikovsky Is Haggard and Husky No, we're not the jet set We're the old Chevro-let set But ain't we got love No, we're not the jet set We're the old Chevro-let set The John and Renee set Ain't the flaming suzette set Our Bach and Tchaikovsky Is Haggard and Husky No, we're not the jet set We're the old Chevro-let set But ain't we got love

Instrumental

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-Ladies and gentlemen, star of TV's "Empire," Jussie Smollett.

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- I was born by the river In a little tent Oh, and just like the river, I've been running Ever since It's been a long A long time coming But I know A change gon' come Oh, yes, it will -Please welcome Terrence Howard. - It's been too hard living But I am afraid to die 'Cause I don't know what's up there Beyond the sky It's been a long A long time coming But I know A change is gon' come Oh, yes, it will - And I go to the movies Then I go downtown, oh - Somebody keep telling me, boy What you doing in this town It's been a long - It's been a long - A long time coming But I know, I know, I know A change gon' come - A change is gon' come - Oh, yes, it will - You know, I went to I went to my brother, yeah I said brother, brother Help me, please - Then I said, I'd like to, I really would I'm just not able - Then I look around - Look around - Drive back down on my knees, whoa There been times when I thought I couldn't last for long - Now, it seems I'm able to carry on It's been a long A long time coming But I know, I know A change is gon' come Oh, yes, it will -Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to say a few words, especially to those who were there, who were present, when this song was written. Who was watching these conditions. A long time has gone by for us to make a change. A long time has gone by for us to be better. Let's choose it now. Let's collectively say, we are going to be a better world.

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- Oh, oh, a change gon' come It's been a long - It's been a long - Long time coming - But I know - I know A change gonna come Whoa, whoa, whoa, yes It will Yes

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Oh, oh, oh, oh Yes, it will - Yes, it will

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-Terrence Howard! -Jussie Smollett! -Chicago for life!

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-Make a change.

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-Please welcome back to the stage Rene Fleming joined by the Reverend Jesse Jackson. -The "Chicago Voice's" initiative encourages you to find your individual voice and tell the stories of your life, your community, and your truth through song. Not everyone is a singer. But each of us has a sound as unique as a fingerprint, and every single one of us deserves and needs to be heard. Reverend Jackson, will you help us close tonight's program? -We thank you. We need you. There's anxiety in the air. Hearts are heavy. There is great division, and yet, we need a healing hand. A lot of pain in the room tonight, and yet we champions play with pain. We will not surrender. The water's deep, but deep water does not drown you. You drown when you stop kicking. We're not gonna stop kicking. That's who we are.

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God has blessed you with a healing touch in your voice. We need your voice as never before, and we thank you for sharing it. And we, the people -- One writer said, "The weeping may endure for a night, but hold on and hold out. Don't give up because joy comes in the morning." When it's real, real dark, the stars shine most clearly. We need your star to continue to shine. And writers said, the -- most profoundly, said -- To live, love, and gift 'tis but one greater thing. Open the heart and let it sing. Keep singing. We love you, and we need you.

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-Oh, thank you. Oh, my gosh. Thank you. Thank you, Reverend Jackson. All of tonight's performers, joined by the wonderful voices of Trinity Mass Choir want to end with this song that encapsulates everything we hope for tonight and everything you just said. Thank you so much, Reverend Jackson. -Thank you, Rene. -We're coming together. Come to the water The water will flow Stand to the night See the light, let it grow Hold on for hard winds Are starting to blow Stand up Hold on And swear you won't let go Ooh - Whatever I said doesn't matter Whatever you said doesn't hurt Whatever we meant and whatever we did Is lost in the water Whatever I felt I've forgotten - Whatever I planned I released - But come take my hand Come down to the water Come down to the water - Where people are coming together And people are falling apart - And no one can hide We're caught in the tide And punched in the heart - But people are harder than diamonds And people are stronger than knives - We breathe and we burn But we'll never return For the rest of our lives For the rest of our lives - People are coming together People are coming together - Come down to the water, come down to the water - Where people are coming together - People are coming together - And people are falling apart - We'll pick up the slack But we'll never go back For the rest of our lives - For the rest of our lives - People are coming together - Hold on - People are coming together - Come to the water The water will flow Stand to the night See the light, let it grow Hold on for hard winds Are starting to blow Stand up - Stand up - Stand up Hold on - Stand up - Stand up - Hold on - Hold on - People are coming together, oh, yeah - People are coming together People are co ming together - Coming together All across the world People are coming together People are coming together People are coming together People are coming together All across the world People are coming together People are coming together People are coming together All across the world - Stand up - Hold on - Stand up - Hold on -All right, all right, all right, all right! - Stand up - Hold on - And swear you won't let go

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- Come on Baby, don't you want to go Ooh Come on Baby, don't you want to go Back to that same old place Come on, y'all Sweet home Chicago Come on Baby, don't you want to go Don't you want to go right now Come on Baby, don't you want to go Don't you want to go right now Back to that same old sweet place Sweet home Chicago Come on - Well, one and one is two -Yeah, baby. - Six and two is eight Baby, that copper's got it, baby, don't make me wait Oh, yeah Baby, don't you want to go Back to that same old place Sweet home Chicago Come on Baby, don't you want to go - Don't you wanna go? - Come on, come on, baby, don't you want to go - Don't you want to go - Back to that same old place Sweet home Chicago

Trumpet solo

Oh, baby don't you want to go Come on, come on Baby, don't you want to go Don't you want to go Back to that same old place Sweet home Chicago

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- Sweet home Chicago -To find out more about this and other "Great Performances" programs, visit pbs.org/greatperformances, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter. - Sweet home Chicago Sweet home Chicago

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