The Soul Queen of New Orleans Irma Thomas returned home to perform for a loyal crowd of fans on Friday, May 4 at the Columbia Theatre, before she took the Acura Stage at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on Saturday, May 5. Her performance marked the end of the ticket season for the Columbia Theatre.
“We wanted her for the capstone of the season. The new season starts in September, and it will be announced hopefully by the end of May, or early in June,” said C. Roy Blackwood, interim director at Columbia Theatre.
Irma Thomas, a native of Ponchatoula, has a plethora of hit singles and a total of nineteen albums. “After the Rain” won her a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 2007. In 2007, Thomas was also inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, joining the ranks of Fats Domino, Little Richard, Ellis Marsalis and Mahalia Jackson. The Memphis Blues Hall of Fame recognized her remarkable career by inducting her into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2009. Recently, she was also recognized with a bronze statue in New Orleans Music Legends Park. The park, on Bourbon Street, is free and open to the public to preserve  and remind citizens of the city’s history with jazz.
The Ponchatoula native was escorted onto stage by her loving husband, Emile Jackson, and she soon began to take requests from the audience after her opening song, saying, “If you’re a newcomer to my performances, you’re in trouble. I’m not your typical entertainer.”
Thomas sang “In the Middle of it All” which was featured in Tyler Perry’s film “Why Did I Get Married Too” which was released in 2010. Some of the requests included classics such as “It’s Raining” and “Break Away.” Thomas got the whole audience on their feet in the middle of the show. With their handkerchiefs in hand the crowd members danced in a second line to “Iko Iko,” which is a traditional Carnival song.
Her fifty-three year career has local impact and worldwide influence. Keyboard player Kim Phillips has been playing with Thomas since 1985 after he met her through her husband.
“My mom introduced me to her husband. He saw me playing, and he let me come to their house for Irma to hear me play,” said Phillips. “We’ve been to Australia, London, Japan and Switzerland.”
Thomas closed her show by singing “Forever Young.” According to Thomas, “This is a song to my fans. I’ll always remember the good years because of my fans, and I’m never too big for my fans.”
Backstage after the performance, Thomas said, “Oh it’s wonderful, very humbling. The response was wonderful. I had a real good time. When I perform I enjoy myself. I figure, if I’m having a good time, the audience will have a good time. I can’t just go up there and stand still.”
“It was an exuberant show,” Blackwood said of Thomas’s performance. For more information on the new ticket season at the Columbia Theatre stay tuned to their website columbiatheatre.org.