Valentine's Day with the Queen of Soul

Actually, it was Valentine's Night that Aretha Franklin performed at the Nokia Theatre.

She's almost 65 years old, and much has been made in the media of her size. Indeed, at times she did look like she was having a little difficulty onstage, and she did leave the stage for about 10 minutes about half-an-hour into the show.

But it was still an amazing show. She sang my favourites: (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher, Chain of Fools and (of course) Respect. She's still got an astounding voice, and boy can she play the piano. I think my favourite part of the show was her brilliant rendition of Bridge Over Troubled Waters.

The audience consisted of a wide range of ages, ethnicities, and wardrobes. There were people dressed as though they were going to church, people in Goth attire, and people in jeans. Sitting on the other side of Tod was a punk-looking young woman who couldn't have been more than 25, but she was really into the music, singing along with almost all the songs, and energetically cheering Aretha on.

I'm glad we went. It was a great show, and a lovely Valentine's Day celebration.