The crowd buzzed with a feverish excitement, as the musicians tuned their instruments, in anticipation of the greatest Motown hits performed by Shadows of The 60s A Tribute to Motown Saturday evening at the inaugural show of the 35th anniversary 2018-19 season of the Bradford Creative and Performing Arts Center.
Dave Revels, founder and creator of the Shadows of The 60s was emcee for the event held at the Bromeley Family Theater at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. He explained that each of the seven vocalists and five musicians had a special connection or memory to the town of Detroit, the Motor City, where the Motown sound was born — where in 1959 Berry Gordy Jr. began his record label Motown with an $800 loan from his family and knowledge from his previous success as a songwriter.
“The town of Detroit was a place where everyone knew everyone and everyone looked out for everyone. Detroit was more of a city known as a town, but Bradford, well the city of Bradford feels like a town,” Revels said with a welcoming chuckle, which the audience promptly returned.
This introduction led straight into one the Motown Recording Label’s greatest hits and the first music piece of the night, “Can’t Help Myself” by the Four Tops. While Revels, performing as Levi Stubbs, took lead vocals for this piece, and almost all the rest up until intermission, he was supported by three male and two female backup vocalists. For musical accompaniment, the band consisted of a guitar and bass player, drummer, saxophonist and pianist.
Between hit songs by the Four Tops, Revels played many call-and-response games with the audience to engage and encourage their movement, dance and backup audience vocals.
“Tonight we ask you only to do what comes natural, and get up and dance,” he said before beginning with the opening lyrics to “Baby I Need Your Lovin’.”
The crowd was so lively during the Four Tops set that Revels said, “This is a house full of old time music lovers, I can tell,” before he continued, “We love the Four Tops and let me tell you why: the Four Tops, besides being an iconic Motown group, were a family and stayed together making music for 40 years until a death in the band. We are all a family as well, trying to stay as authentic to Motown memory as we can, and evoke memories.”
Before the house lights raised for intermission, songs of the Four Tops were wrapped up, another female vocalist was brought to stage and duets of songs by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell were performed.
“The last song before intermission was my favorite, although it wasn’t the classical Motown I came to hear, it was a great song about American pride with Motown sound that had the entire theater on their feet,” said Jackie Bess.
Post intermission, only the three female vocalists were on stage for renditions of songs by The Supremes, such as; “Baby Love,” “Back in My Arms Again,” “Come See About Me” and “You Keep Me Hanging On.”
Before Shadows of the 60s closed their set for the evening, the men joined the women on stage for around a dozen major Motown hits such as “Second that Emotion,” “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” and “Wait a Minute Mr. Postman,” jammed artfully into a non-stop compilation show-closer.
BCPAC will return in January for the second show of the 35th anniversary season, The Art of Circus.
