"Wattstax" was a concert organized by Memphis's Stax Records to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Watts Riots in southern California. The concert was envisaged as "the African-American version of Woodstock". "Wattstax" is an interesting time capsule, preserving a moment in U.S. history when racial tensions were a constant issue and the fashion was decidedly Dy-No-Mite.
My musical highlight was watching the Staples Singers perform "Respect Yourself". Oh, man - awesome. Family bands always sing together so well. Comes from doing it all their lives. The film closes with an Isaac Hayes performance. In 1972, Isaac Hayes was the Man, fresh off his mega-successful "Shaft" soundtrack. But I've never cared for his music, so I just fast-forwarded through his portion. Watching the audience members at the "Wattstax" concert is arguably more fun than watching the concert. The assembled throng is nattily attired in the hippest garb of the day. We can speculate now that no one will ever wear this clothing again, but I'm sure we will. All told, an average concert, with several unfunny (in my opinion) Richard Pryor interludes, but still worthy viewing due to historical significance.
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