Mavis Staples and Joan Osborne are bringing the blues to the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center (PAC) stage on Sept. 29 as part of their national Solid Soul Tour.
Staples is a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Grammy Award-winning R&B and gospel singer, and Osborne is a Grammy-nominated multiplatinum singer-songwriter who works with a variety of genres, according to the PAC website and a press release from tour producer Columbia Artists Management (CAMI).
“Joan has a natural blues-y tint to her voice,” Cal Poly Arts Director Steve Lerian said, “and Mavis is one of the queens of soul.”
Staples and Osborne will play their own sets, with Osborne slated to open, and will end the show with duet numbers, Lerian said.
Because some of Staples’ and Osborne’s hits have acted as precursors to modern music, Lerian suggested that the performance is for anyone looking for “a rock-n-roll, soul blues high-energy show.”
Lerian said a pre-show lecture will be set in the pavilions at about 6:30 p.m., and will likely touch on music and Civil Rights issues.
“You’re going to be moving around in your seat,” Lerian said. “It’s not music that’s easy to just sit down to.”
The performance is scheduled to begin 7:30 p.m. and is anticipated to bring in approximately 700-850 people. Regular tickets run from $32-64 depending on seating location. However, students with their Cal Poly ID can purchase $10 student rush tickets in cash up to one hour before the show.