Post by Jonel on May 29, 2003 14:40:48 GMT -5
Story last updated at 6:59 a.m. Thursday, April 10, 2003
New Temptations capture old magic
BY DEVIN GRANT
Special to The Post and Courier
There are a number of musical nostalgia acts on the road these days that attempt to capture the old magic while featuring only one or two original members.
Mike Love still tours with a band he calls the Beach Boys despite the fact that Brian Wilson, the true creative force behind that group, hasn't played in that outfit in decades. Several members of Creedence Clearwater Revival crisscross the country every year, playing as Creedence Clearwater Revisited. However John Fogerty, the guy whose voice and guitar sound essentially was CCR, is nowhere to be found. Sure, a musical act can lose a member and still be viable, but can one member of an original super group still make an audience feel as if they have witnessed the true essence of the act?
For many, David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin and Otis Williams were more than just a singing group. Those original members of the Temptations made music that has endured for the better part of four decades. Otis Williams is the only surviving member of that founding lineup.
While the fact that Williams still tours with a group that calls itself the Temptations might have some R&B purists crying foul, no one seemed to mind last Sunday night at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center. As Williams, Terry Weeks, Barrington Henderson, Ron Tyson and Harry McGilberry Jr. strolled onto the stage and dove right into a medley of Temptations hits ("The Way You Do the Things You Do," "Ain't too Proud to Beg," "I Wish it would Rain"), the crowd, which filled nearly the entire facility, roared in approval.
While sound problems hampered that initial medley, most of the audio kinks seemed to be ironed out by the time the group launched into "Just My Imagination," which had the audience singing along so enthusiastically, that they threatened to drown out the evening's attraction.
"I didn't mean for you to sing the whole song!" joked Tyson, who just shortly before had urged the crowd to join in. Indeed the audience members didn't hold back when it came to showing their appreciation for the Temptations' music. There was plenty of spontaneous dancing, catcalls from the women in response to some of the more suggestive Temptations dance moves and an overall feeling of fun among the crowd.
The Temptations employed many a trick to keep the spectators entertained, including handing out flowers to a few lucky ladies in the front row, clowning around with the band conductor, and even allowing several audience members to take a shot at singing a verse of "My Girl" in a sort of impromptu "American Idol" competition.
The Temptations covered the group's entire career during the performance, with classics such as "Treat Her Like a Lady," "I'm Losin' You" and "Standing on the Top," and more recent recordings, including a cover of "Some Enchanted Evening" from the musical "South Pacific." The evening ended with a brief prayer for the troops fighting in Iraq, and a beautiful a cappella rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner," which again had the crowd singing along with such gusto, that Williams and his fellow Temptations were all but overpowered.
North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey attended the show, and was all smiles afterward, saying, "They brought back a lot of great memories, and they showed their love for our country."
Backing the singers was a band that consisted of two keyboard players, a guitarist, a bassist who also manned a third set of keyboards, a drummer, and the 10-piece Tuscaloosa Horn Section, which gave each song just the proper kick it needed.
There were a couple of problems later in the show with the sound (a little feedback here, uneven levels among the singers there), but overall the crowd seemed satisfied when the house lights finally came up.
During the introductions late in the show, Williams received a well-deserved standing ovation. While the singer might not be able to hit every deep-knee-bend with his younger group mates, Williams nonetheless showed off the charm that has allowed this act to endure for more than 40 years.
Sure, the current Temptations lineup might be different, but not noticeably so. The spirit, the sound and those patented Temptations dance moves are still there, and somewhere up there the dearly departed former members or the Temptations are no doubt nodding approvingly.
Devin Grant is a free-lance entertainment writer based in Charleston. Contact him at chucktowncritic@yahoo.com.
Courtesy of The Post and Courier
charleston.net/stories/041003/pre_10temps.shtml
New Temptations capture old magic
BY DEVIN GRANT
Special to The Post and Courier
There are a number of musical nostalgia acts on the road these days that attempt to capture the old magic while featuring only one or two original members.
Mike Love still tours with a band he calls the Beach Boys despite the fact that Brian Wilson, the true creative force behind that group, hasn't played in that outfit in decades. Several members of Creedence Clearwater Revival crisscross the country every year, playing as Creedence Clearwater Revisited. However John Fogerty, the guy whose voice and guitar sound essentially was CCR, is nowhere to be found. Sure, a musical act can lose a member and still be viable, but can one member of an original super group still make an audience feel as if they have witnessed the true essence of the act?
For many, David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin and Otis Williams were more than just a singing group. Those original members of the Temptations made music that has endured for the better part of four decades. Otis Williams is the only surviving member of that founding lineup.
While the fact that Williams still tours with a group that calls itself the Temptations might have some R&B purists crying foul, no one seemed to mind last Sunday night at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center. As Williams, Terry Weeks, Barrington Henderson, Ron Tyson and Harry McGilberry Jr. strolled onto the stage and dove right into a medley of Temptations hits ("The Way You Do the Things You Do," "Ain't too Proud to Beg," "I Wish it would Rain"), the crowd, which filled nearly the entire facility, roared in approval.
While sound problems hampered that initial medley, most of the audio kinks seemed to be ironed out by the time the group launched into "Just My Imagination," which had the audience singing along so enthusiastically, that they threatened to drown out the evening's attraction.
"I didn't mean for you to sing the whole song!" joked Tyson, who just shortly before had urged the crowd to join in. Indeed the audience members didn't hold back when it came to showing their appreciation for the Temptations' music. There was plenty of spontaneous dancing, catcalls from the women in response to some of the more suggestive Temptations dance moves and an overall feeling of fun among the crowd.
The Temptations employed many a trick to keep the spectators entertained, including handing out flowers to a few lucky ladies in the front row, clowning around with the band conductor, and even allowing several audience members to take a shot at singing a verse of "My Girl" in a sort of impromptu "American Idol" competition.
The Temptations covered the group's entire career during the performance, with classics such as "Treat Her Like a Lady," "I'm Losin' You" and "Standing on the Top," and more recent recordings, including a cover of "Some Enchanted Evening" from the musical "South Pacific." The evening ended with a brief prayer for the troops fighting in Iraq, and a beautiful a cappella rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner," which again had the crowd singing along with such gusto, that Williams and his fellow Temptations were all but overpowered.
North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey attended the show, and was all smiles afterward, saying, "They brought back a lot of great memories, and they showed their love for our country."
Backing the singers was a band that consisted of two keyboard players, a guitarist, a bassist who also manned a third set of keyboards, a drummer, and the 10-piece Tuscaloosa Horn Section, which gave each song just the proper kick it needed.
There were a couple of problems later in the show with the sound (a little feedback here, uneven levels among the singers there), but overall the crowd seemed satisfied when the house lights finally came up.
During the introductions late in the show, Williams received a well-deserved standing ovation. While the singer might not be able to hit every deep-knee-bend with his younger group mates, Williams nonetheless showed off the charm that has allowed this act to endure for more than 40 years.
Sure, the current Temptations lineup might be different, but not noticeably so. The spirit, the sound and those patented Temptations dance moves are still there, and somewhere up there the dearly departed former members or the Temptations are no doubt nodding approvingly.
Devin Grant is a free-lance entertainment writer based in Charleston. Contact him at chucktowncritic@yahoo.com.
Courtesy of The Post and Courier
charleston.net/stories/041003/pre_10temps.shtml
. He always gets me out of MY chair, being the Preacher!! 
They're the crew that sells the tickets, (I'm talking about memories here) all the other guys INCLUDING Dennis and O help make sure folks buy tickets next time they come into town. 
it is!!! (see, y'all are making me so mad you're driving me to say BAD words!!!) Look around at the next Tempts concert you go to ('cause I know you go to them all the time, ha ha.) What does the majority of the crowd look like? Do they look like you and me or do they look like our parents? Same folks. EXACT same folks. 
