Nostalgia was the name of the game as the legends of Tamla Motown rolled back the years to keep an appreciative audience dancing in the aisles at the Motorpoinnt Arena.
An elegant, still youthful Freda Payne wound an impressive opening set around her one great hit, Band of Gold,leaving an excited audience eager for more.
Second up, The Platters, for me were the stars of the evening. Nowadays, this is the only group sanctioned to use the name, but their faultless harmonies and slick professionalism certainly paid homage to the original fifties pioneers of pop harmony. Hits such as Only You, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and The Great Pretender were perfectly executed.
Founder members Otis Williams of the Temptations and Duke Fakir of the Four Tops are still performing and an impressive back catalogue of hits including Get Ready,Papa was a Rolling Stone, My Girl,Loco in Acapulco, Bernadette and Walk Away Renee kept the feel-good factor alive. For me, at times, both acts seemed to be competing with their respective backing musicians rather than being complemented by them, but this certainly wasn't picked up by anyone else as the party atmosphere was kept firmly alive.
Both acts touchingly paid respect to past members, and it is undeniably testimony to their dedication and professionalism that nowadays the Motown sound remains the same. With clever choreography being their only gimmick, the music still does the talking.
Here's to their next era.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here