Etta James at Arrington Vinyards

Etta James has slimmed down, but she hasn’t lost an ounce of the spunk that made her 1955 breakthrough “The Wallflower” (a.k.a. “Dance With Me Henry”) a gritty sparkplug for nascent rock ’n’ roll. For proof, check her YouTubed rip on Barack Obama and Beyoncé, who plays James in the Cadillac Records. Better yet, hear the Lady live at Kix Brooks’ Arrington Vineyards, just south of the city, where the three-time Grammy winner and inductee in both the Blues and the Rock ’n’ Roll halls of fame will perform “At Last”—a tune Beyoncé wishes she’d never covered and, as James’ 1960 smash, perhaps the most beautiful love song on vinyl—among a repertoire plucked from more than 30 albums that ricochet from Billie Holiday to classic blues to “Purple Rain.” And yes, at a sassy 71 years old, she’s still got her pipes, too.
Fri., June 12, 7 p.m., 2009