Jesus Christ Superstars

Choral group is bigger than Bono

Comments (0) By Jay Bennett Thursday, Apr 17 2008

Hollywood Rule No. 251: Any scene featuring a gospel choir is required to show enraptured members of the flock singing with arms raised to the heavens, clapping their hands and stomping their feet, perhaps even shedding tears of joy, as though the voices alone would lift them to meet Jesus. Of course, that’s just the movies.

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But by all accounts, a performance by the Harlem Gospel Choir really can be a near-religious experience. At the very least, it’s an uplifting couple of hours of gospel, blues, and soul, sung by a world-renowned group that’s performed for presidents and popes. The choir – deemed “tremendous” by Elton John and (blech) “angels in Harlem” by Bono – will make three stops in the Valley between Friday, April 18, and Sunday, April 20. At 7:30 Friday, the choir performs at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 13720 West Thomas Road in Avondale. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the group hits Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 North Arizona Avenue. On Sunday, the HGC rocks the rafters at Chase Field, 401 East Jefferson Street, with its rendition of the national anthem at the D-Backs/San Diego Padres game.
Sat., April 19, 7:30 p.m., 2008