REVIEW
MOTOWN LEGENDS
THE FOUR TOPS and THE TEMPTATIONS
TOGETHER AGAIN... ONE MORE TIME
UK Tour
O2 Arena, London
27th November 2018
With a combined age of roughly 720 years old, The Four Tops and The Temptations supported, (in every sense of the word - The Four Tops' Duke Fakir has not long had a hip replacement and Larry Briggs of The Temptations apparently fell off the stage at the Manchester Arena gig back in 2016) by The Tavares hit London's O2 Arena last night.
Hip replacements and dodgy pins aside, these bands are all Motown legends. They shook the world during the 60s and 70s with hit after hit and continue to play to audiences across the globe, despite the fact that there is now only one original member in each of the Tops and Temptations.
Testament to their huge popularity is that I had to go and see them perform at the O2 Arena, London last night as the Southend Cliffs Pavilion gig was completely sold out. The O2 was equally brimming with an audience mostly consisting of, shall we say, a slightly mature age range but let it be said that there were a fine few in that audience who could have given Justin Bieber's fans a good run for their money.
First out were The Tavares who boogied on to the stage to warm us all up with their 1975 hit, It Only Takes a Minute and soon had everyone up on their feet with Whodunit, She's Gone and Don't Take Away the Music and ending with that Grammy award winning hit, More Than A Woman and Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel.
A quick break and The Four Tops looking dapper in their sparkly white matching shirts and trousers came out to regale us with their slick dance moves and unfaltering harmonies kicking off with Loco in Acapulco and including Baby I Need Your Loving, Bernadette, It's the Same Old Song and Walk Away Renee. The Four Tops are one of those groups where you don't actually realise that they are the ones who recorded these epic tracks and Duke Fakir regardless of his recent hip replacement still manages to get up from his stool and join in with the others with those dapper moves. I loved that when the rest of the guys were doing a full circle dance move, Duke just spun around on the stool. What a legend! Finishing their stint with Standing in the Shadows of Love and the hip-swaying Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch, The Four Tops left the O2 Arena audience more than ready for The Temptations.
The Temptations were the first Motown group to win a Grammy Award and have won 3 in total. In 2013, they were honoured with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and it's easy to see why. With a set list covering 15 songs including Ain't Too Proud to Beg, Ball of Confusion, Just My Imagination, Papa Was a Rollin' Stone and finishing with Treat Her Like A Lady and My Girl they showed off their equally slick dance moves, dressed in matching blue suits. With impressive harmonies and vocal ranges they were supported by a fabulous backing band including a great sounding horn section. Their bounding enthusiasm kept the audience on their feet as they relentlessly worked their way through a back catalogue of hits. Otis Williams, the only surviving member of the group left, boasted that he has been working in the music industry for over 50 years. The Temptations rocked the O2 stage as if they were just starting out and the crowd loved it.
Regardless of their ages and ailments, the hits of The Temptations, The Four Tops and Tavares still have the power to bring people together, rekindle and make memories and will, I am certain, remain forever timeless.
Hip replacements and dodgy pins aside, these bands are all Motown legends. They shook the world during the 60s and 70s with hit after hit and continue to play to audiences across the globe, despite the fact that there is now only one original member in each of the Tops and Temptations.
Testament to their huge popularity is that I had to go and see them perform at the O2 Arena, London last night as the Southend Cliffs Pavilion gig was completely sold out. The O2 was equally brimming with an audience mostly consisting of, shall we say, a slightly mature age range but let it be said that there were a fine few in that audience who could have given Justin Bieber's fans a good run for their money.
First out were The Tavares who boogied on to the stage to warm us all up with their 1975 hit, It Only Takes a Minute and soon had everyone up on their feet with Whodunit, She's Gone and Don't Take Away the Music and ending with that Grammy award winning hit, More Than A Woman and Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel.
A quick break and The Four Tops looking dapper in their sparkly white matching shirts and trousers came out to regale us with their slick dance moves and unfaltering harmonies kicking off with Loco in Acapulco and including Baby I Need Your Loving, Bernadette, It's the Same Old Song and Walk Away Renee. The Four Tops are one of those groups where you don't actually realise that they are the ones who recorded these epic tracks and Duke Fakir regardless of his recent hip replacement still manages to get up from his stool and join in with the others with those dapper moves. I loved that when the rest of the guys were doing a full circle dance move, Duke just spun around on the stool. What a legend! Finishing their stint with Standing in the Shadows of Love and the hip-swaying Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch, The Four Tops left the O2 Arena audience more than ready for The Temptations.
The Temptations were the first Motown group to win a Grammy Award and have won 3 in total. In 2013, they were honoured with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and it's easy to see why. With a set list covering 15 songs including Ain't Too Proud to Beg, Ball of Confusion, Just My Imagination, Papa Was a Rollin' Stone and finishing with Treat Her Like A Lady and My Girl they showed off their equally slick dance moves, dressed in matching blue suits. With impressive harmonies and vocal ranges they were supported by a fabulous backing band including a great sounding horn section. Their bounding enthusiasm kept the audience on their feet as they relentlessly worked their way through a back catalogue of hits. Otis Williams, the only surviving member of the group left, boasted that he has been working in the music industry for over 50 years. The Temptations rocked the O2 stage as if they were just starting out and the crowd loved it.
Regardless of their ages and ailments, the hits of The Temptations, The Four Tops and Tavares still have the power to bring people together, rekindle and make memories and will, I am certain, remain forever timeless.
The Four Tops
The Temptations
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The tour continues:
Wed November 28th 2018 Bournemouth International Centre Thurs November 29th 2018 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena |
Photo: Mick Burgess
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All shows start at 7:30 pm Ticket prices are £47.50 and £40 and £50 Tickets available from www.ticketline.co.uk or the 24-hour ticket line 0844 888 9991 or from the venues direct.
http://fourtopsenterprises.com
http://www.temptationssing.com
http://fourtopsenterprises.com
http://www.temptationssing.com