Damien Sneed Honors MLK at the Majestic with Performance of “We Shall Overcome”
(Photo Katie Oglesby/The Gettysburgian)
By Katie Oglesby, Assistant News Editor
The Majestic Theater hosted a powerful musical performance featuring Damien Sneed, his band, and members of Gettysburg’s Concert and College Choirs in “We Shall Overcome – A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” Gettysburg was one of 35 stops Sneed’s group made on their tour for this celebration to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Jeffrey Gabel, founding executive director of the Majestic Theater, opened the show with a few remarks about the longevity of the Majestic Theater and the expectation of a remarkable performance ahead. Gabel commented that he had already booked Sneed’s group for a future performance.
Alluding to an African proverb, Gabel said, “It takes a village to put on a celebration of this magnitude.”
Subsequently, President Bob Iuliano spoke about the influence of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words and actions, and the importance of words in particular within the Civil Rights Movement.
Iuliano remarked, “Words matter. Words have the power to inspire and to influence,” before passing the microphone to the Gettysburg College chaplain Kristin Largen.
Largen said, “January after January we come back to recommit ourselves to making [Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s] dream . . . real,” before asking for a moment of silence or prayer amongst the audience.
After a brief period of time in which the Adams County Career Aid Project took offerings from the audience, Sneed, his band and vocalists, and the Gettysburg College choirs, coached under the direction of Choir Director Robert Natter, took the stage and the performance began.
As an introduction, Sneed played piano while Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s voice rang through the speakers. This led into Sneed and his band performing “Oh Freedom!” by the Golden Gospel singers.
The lyric repeated often throughout this song linked to Civil Rights movement: “‘Before I’d be a slave, I’ll be buried in my grave and go home to my Lord and be free.”
Sneed proceeded to perform Duke Ellington’s jazz version of “Freedom,” inciting the audience to snap along with the song, and then included three members of the choir in scatting with him: Sebastian Garcia ‘23, Lauren Heyer ‘21, and community member Jan Stein.
Before introducing his next pieces, Sneed said, “When you think of the Civil Rights Movement, it’s almost impossible to separate the church from it.”
With this quote, Sneed led into the religious songs “Everyone Has a Place in the House of God,” a devotional song (with a solo from vocalist Linny Smith), and “Higher Ground” by Stevie Wonder. He implored the audience to get involved by standing and clapping during the second and third songs. He made a clear point that “We Shall Overcome” was meant to be an interactive experience for the audience as well as the performers.
Then, Sneed led “I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free” by Nina Simone and “Oh Lord, How Excellent.” Vocalist Chenee Campbell sang “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel.
Sneed dedicated the next song, “Natural Woman” by Carole King to the women in the audience, as not only was it to be a celebration of the centennial of the Harlem Renaissance, but the centennial of the first opportunity for women to use their newly achieved right to vote in 1919. As in many other songs, the audience was not only allowed, but expected, to stand and sing along.
This continued into Campbell’s solo of Aretha Franklin’s renowned song “Respect.” This piece had the entire audience moving and singing along.
Sneed asked for the audience to dance because “It’s okay to have fun, it is okay to dance. Because that’s what we do in America: we dance.”
Vocalist Alicia Peters-Jordan sang “Love” by Musical Soul Child in the tradition of Neo Soul, inviting the audience to participate in the form of call and repeat. She then invited three volunteers from the audience to participate and sing their own rendition of “Love.”
Vocalist Smith then sang “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye and the audience was instructed to wave their phones with flashlights.
The audience sang along and stood during the performance of “Proud Mary” by Tina Turner (and Creedence Clearwater Revival).
Sneed gave his final remarks before the last songs, telling the audience not to “let anybody stop you from living your dreams . . . You’re important, your life matters.”
One of the vocalists sang “Rise,” which was written about the Civil Rights Movement. Then, Sneed played piano again while a recording of King spoke about how “we shall overcome.”
To end the performance, Sneed led the audience in holding hands with their neighbors and singing “We Shall Overcome” in a powerful display of unity among the Gettysburg community.
Garcia, a member of the Gettysburg College Choir, commented, “It was a beautiful night that not only included outstanding levels of talent but also provided an interactive learning experience for everyone involved.”
