Opinion: Are You Ready To Get Down?!

   Make no mistake. It was James Brown who rescued the Back at the Ranch concert in Montauk this year, both in terms of ticket sales and producing a concert to remember.

   Any debate over who was truly the headliner - Ray Charles or Mr. Brown - was put to rest when Mr. Brown's high-fiving Soul Generals took the stage and bellowed, "Good evening Montauk! Are you ready to get down?!!," then launched into one of the most rousing introductions of all time.

   In a tight black suit with sequined lapels and hair just too perfect, the 68-year-old icon came on and began to dance and twist as if cryogenics had forever preserved him at 30. Sparing none of his trademarks - the spins, the cape, the lyrical grunts - Mr. Brown easily reaffirmed his position not only as "the hardest working man in rock" but also as one of pop culture's greatest characters.

Tender Down Deep

   His supporting cast provided just as much energy. Between the six backup singers, the score of musicians, and the team of supercharged female dancers, the stage was teeming with life. The Soul Generals were impeccably tight not only in their delivery but in their horn-twirling choreography. Every once in a while, a guitar solo would break up the orchestrated feel.

   Mr. Brown opened with his 1967 funk classic "Cold Sweat," and kept the beat hard and heavy through "Get Up Offa That Thing," and "Living in America," before slowing things down for a soulful rendition of "(If I Ruled the) World." Beyond his howl lies a tender ballad voice, as he proved on "World," and then on "It's a Man's Man's Man's World."

   As the singer crooned the lyrics to the latter, his dancer Julie Kim gracefully accompanied him with a ballet number. Mr. Brown's macho poise and Ms. Kim's beautiful dance created a perfect tableau for the song, which argues that this "man's world" wouldn't be "nothing without a woman or a girl."

Back And Forth

The mellow interlude set up a flurry of greatest hits that carried the rest of the show - "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," "I Got You (I Feel Good)," and finally "Sex Machine."

   Mr. Brown's set was filled with melodramatics, especially in his comical dialogues with the backup singers, who answered in one voice.

   "Can I get up and do my thing?" he blurted to them before launching into the 10-minute version of "Sex Machine" that closed the show. "I gotta get into it. I gotta to get with it. Like a . . . like a sex . . . like a sex machine!!"

   "Well?" asked the singers.

   "Well what?"

   "We can't start it until you count it off!"

"ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!!"

A Subtler Style

   If Mr. Charles and Mr. Brown had never shared a stage before the Aug. 19 concert, perhaps it has to do with their styles. They are contemporaries, only two years apart, and both are credited with pioneering soul music. But their styles have remained completely distinct.

   Mr. Charles played the subdued soul parent to Mr. Brown's feisty funk son at last week's fund-raiser. Unfortunately, the younger Mr. Charles sounded his age, while Mr. Brown sounded timeless.

   Perhaps a large outdoor stage was not the ideal forum for Mr. Charles' deep and subtle blend of gospel and R&B. Though he played a spirited show that got tighter and more moving by the end, much of the emotion seemed to dissipate on the sprawling stage. Mr. Charles and his keyboard were dwarfed by the towering scaffolding.

   Mr. Charles's Ray Charles Orchestra, a big band with a sturdy anchor of drums, bass, and guitar, provided their own rousing intro to their frontman. After a few upbeat swing numbers, the band flew into a frenzied wail that accompanied a dancing Mr. Charles on his way to his keyboard and brought the crowd to its feet.

   "Ladies and gentlemen, the genius of soul, Ray Charles!!"

   His first two numbers, a fast shuffle, then a medium-paced ballad, were passionate yet tentative, as if the singer were just settling in. So it was a surprise when Mr. Charles pulled out arguably his most moving number, "Georgia on My Mind," as the third song of the set.

   Mr. Charles eased out the classic serenade, never bringing it to its promised peaks. His tinny electric keyboard begged for a baby grand piano. Yet, by the end of the song, the gritty sweetness of his voice managed to win the crowd over. As he wound the number down he nodded his head slowly and whispered, "Ain't she?" affirming, yes, Georgia was on his mind.

Pure Joy In Playing

Mr. Charles then kicked the band into a happy, swing version of "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning," which saw him finally finding a groove. The nearly 20-piece orchestra were well honed on his still solid vocals, taking their cues from him rather than the other way around.

   Mr. Charles took the band and his line of backup singers, the RaeLettes, through a set of seven more numbers, ranging from slow and soulful to fast and bluesy. He iced the cake with an uplifting version of the deeply funky classic "What I Say," which featured some of his finest keyboard playing and his most inspired vocal effort.

   Waving goodbye, with the band still rolling, Mr. Charles signed off by saying, "I'd like to thank the band. . . . I am what I am!" It was true. Though he played a subdued, reserved set, Mr. Charles' unmistakable aura and his pure joy in playing carried the music through.

Opening Acts

   Mr. Charles and Mr. Brown had help from an impressive group of opening acts, including the Nash ville-raised blues and R&B singer Jonell Moser and the young tap-dancing phenomenon Savion Glover.

   Paul Simon's son, Harper Simon, and his band opened the show as they have for the past several years. Unfortunately, something was missing. Last year, Mr. Simon brimmed with energy and his scrappy but lively set of pop proved one of the highlights. This year, the live energy was supplanted by a more contemplative, less stirring set of songs soon to be released on a Harper Simon album.

   Mr. Simon describes his new music as "psychedelic cow/punk rock." The "cow" was there in his decent country harmonies with Jenni Muldaur, but the "punk" was absent and the "psychedelic" was as trippy as, say, a caffeine buzz.

Phenomenal Tap

   Ms. Moser, a late addition to the bill, did more than fill a slot. Like a Bonnie Raitt with some of Janis Joplin's rasp, Ms. Moser gave a stirring vocal performance, despite the somewhat run-of-the-mill R&B and blues material. Her seven-song set ended with a stomping version of the blues classic "Crossroads," which she had recorded for the "Boys on the Side" soundtrack.

   If anyone truly set the mood for the double bill to come, it was the tap dancer Savion Glover. Coming out in an unassuming Ranch concert security T-shirt and jeans, the star of the Broadway show "Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk," immediately had the crowd in his palm.

   Mr. Glover used his feet and the stage as a drum set producing booming beats and subtle taps. All the while he made his way back and forth, using the length of the stage. There was no top hat and cane for this dancer; Mr. Glover was there to make music. It was a treat to watch the athleticism that accompanied his footwork.

   When a guitarist came out to accompany Mr. Glover's drum solo tapping, one had the feeling this was one of the freshest new art forms around.