Solomon Burke at Joe's Pub, NYC, July 18, 2002. Photo © 2002 NYRock.com.

Solomon Burke at Joe's Pub, NYC, July 18, 2002. Photo © NYRock.com.

Early into Burke's set, my wife (the illustrious Pumpkin Luck) told me I should mention Solomon's big 12-piece band, so here you have it: Complete with horn section, dual keyboardists, guitar players and backup vocalists (who routinely dabbed the sweat off the big man's face), the band kicked out some serious Chicago blues that just might have sent a few heavy gusts of its own through the windy city.

Solomon's big band ripped though some R&B standards, such as Don Gibson's "I Can't Stop Loving You," and some non-standards and originals that kept luminaries in the crowd, such as Robert Plant, and plebeians alike hoppin' and boppin' throughout the night. Midway through his set, Solomon treated us to his latest single, "Don't Give Up on Me" (yeah, the one he performed on Letterman a few nights earlier). And let me tell you brothers and sisters, you'd be a fool indeed to give up on Burke. He's simply a jewel, a vibrant and moving performer, if ever there was one.

Solomon Burke at Joe's Pub, NYC, July 18, 2002. Photo © 2002 NYRock.com.

Burke closed the night with "Beautiful Brown Eyes," from the 1964 Clarion release I Almost Lost My Mind. "So beautiful, so doggone beautiful," he sang, as he passed Pumpkin Luck one of his roses. Fight it though I tried, I could feel a small tear form in the corner of my eye. God, this is embarrassing; I 'm supposed to be a punk-rock journalist. Well, what can I say, seat me in front of an old beautiful soul man like Burke and all bets are off. God bless the big man. He represents the best the music biz has to offer.