Green Not Golden

It wasn?t exactly that the notoriously erratic Al Green was going through the motions this past Friday at the State Theater, but he wasn?t exactly singing the songs, either. Or at least not singing them as if they meant anything other than, This was once a bit hit, and you loved it, and you loved me for making it. His megalomania--the constant reminders of how much we loved him and how much he loved us--was a major drag if apparently effective with most of the crowd. A few high points to go with the dazzling high notes, but mostly we got depressing Vegas shtick from a guy who once seemed impervious to such things.