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Post by Ivory Fair on Apr 26, 2002 0:27:27 GMT -5
The Tempts in Chattanooga, Tennessee April 25th, 2002.
I got a call a few months ago from my mom. She said, “are you sitting down?” I said, “yes” (I was lying) she said, “guess who’s gonna be at the Memorial Auditorium in April?” I said, “Tom Jones” (one of her heart throbs from way back.) “No, even better. The Temptations!” I said, “really? Are you sure? There are so many Tempts running around these days you know.” “Well, they show a picture and it’s Bo Diddly and the bald guy, that’s them right?” (she was being silly) “Yep!” “I’ll go first thing tomorrow when the tickets go on sale.”
And boy did she! Front row, dead center. Sounds good, and I’m not gonna lie, it is, but it makes me SOOOOOO nervous. If you’re back a few rows you can hide an act a fool and hope they don’t see you. On the front row, you see them, they see you and needless to say I was a ball of nerves the whole time.
The hall was slow to fill up. “Chattanooga is so bad about not attending shows, I don’t know why we do that.” My mom said apologetically. But soon most of the house was full and it would turn out to be a very enthusiastic crowd.
The band and horn section came out and began to warm up. In the wings I could see the Tempts praying. Apparently Someone was listening to them because when they began to sing they sounded like angels, “Baby all I wanna do is make your heart and body feel….” “AWESOME!” As I listened, I got a little light headed, started to get this floaty feeling. The atmosphere was heavy with devotion. It was, well, awesome.
Out they come. “I hope they wear the blue suits again,” my mom said, “That was the Four Tops who wore the blue suits mom,” “oh yeah, well, I still hope they wear blue.” And granting what was to be the first of many unspoken requests, out they come in slate blue shantung, black shirts, red hankies, silver belt buckles, (not the “I love Ivory” ones, these were round like a medallion) they were wearing shoes, but heck if I remember what they looked like.
And there they were, “you got a smile so bright-ing” looking well rested and refreshed. All the greats, “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” and the rest in that order that we all know so well. Ron knew exactly where he was, inserting “Chattanooga” whenever appropriate and even making a little choo choo joke.
“We’re gonna slow things down a little bit and do a song that many of you know,” O said after a while. “A song that many other groups have done,” “This is gonna be Some Enchanted Evening” I thought to myself because someone who had seen them last week said they did SEE then. “It’s a very spiritual song,” he continued. “Some Enchanted Evening is a spiritual song?” I thought to myself. “Ok, I guess.” “It was made famous by the legendary Paul Robeson…….”
It was at that point I jumped so high out of my chair I almost banged my head on the ceiling!!!! “THAT’S MY SONG!!!!!!” I screamed to my mom. “SHHHHHHHH!!!!” she said as I was the only one in the house making such a fuss.
Time out. Before I go any further, I need to explain this to the new folks. Me and Ol Man River is a running joke. It all started late one night, or rather early one morning, after being out at a club all night, I came home, wired as usual, and while I wasn’t drunk, I might as well have been and I decided to entertain my two felines with my rendition of Blu’s standard. Before then I hated the song. Couldn’t stand it. But after my impromptu concert in front of my totally disinterested cats, I realized how fun the song is. And after that, it kind of became a running joke on the board. How awful I was at singing it, how I would use it to torture folks. Anyway, me and Ol Man River became a “thing.”
(continued)
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Post by Ivory Fair on Apr 26, 2002 0:28:21 GMT -5
So that’s why I was so happy to hear it. I was just sad that my partner in crime “Fair Lady Soul” couldn’t be there with me. I’ve heard it one time before in New Orleans a couple of years ago. I wanted to cry both times. Despite the cheers from the audience, the guys remained very reverent. So following their lead I sat there on the edge of my seat, transfixed. Here came the angel voices again, in perfect harmony. Every voice was perfect, not a hint of forty years of singing in O’s voice. And I swear Bo sounds so much like Paul it’s haunting.
Harry’s performance of this song shows what a talented entertainer he is. He’s always so lovably goofy, flirting with the audience and dancing like a man possessed, but he’s so reverent with his performance of Ol Man River it almost brings tears to your eyes. He can’t sing it as well as me (ha ha) but he’s pretty close. I think Blu is up there smiling with pride.
Or, he’s up there saying, “Man O, I can’t believe you’re letting that m*ther f*cker sing my song!” Who knows? LOL!
I kept going back and forth between being relaxed and being a nervous wreck. The first row is about all they can see up there, so they have no choice but to look at you. I can handle Bo, Ron and Harry, but Terry and O make me wanna hide under my seat in fear. Those of you who have seen them perform know the little clapping routine they do during Papa Was A Rolling Stone. My little non-coordinated self can’t keep up with that clap to save my life! And don’t think I haven’t practiced at home either, ‘cause I have! But still no luck. I turned to tell my mother this and as I turned back, there was the Big O-cephus, sweetly laughing at me and my predicament. Half of me wanted to say, “Now just stop the show right here and show me how do that, go slower!” and of course the other half of me wanted to climb under the chair!
When they get ready to sing “Stay,” O always says something like, “can I hear from all the lovely ladies in the house?” to which all the ladies, regardless of whether they are lovely or not, scream. But tonight he added, “oh I see a lovely lady in the audience, I see Bo’s daughter raising her little hand,” and he called out to Bo’s little girl and said hi to her. (This is foreshadowing, so y’all remember this for later.)
(continued)
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Post by Ivory Fair on Apr 26, 2002 0:29:05 GMT -5
On we continued through all the hits, old and new and my little home-town crowd, though small in size, really showed a lot of support. There were even several people who came up to take photos. One man in general was especially loving life. Not only was he taking photos, but he started dancing in the aisle! He looked half-crazy, half-drunk and before the night was over, he’d be dancing with a total stranger. And um, well, how do I say this? Let me just lay it out like it was. He was an old white guy, and his impromptu dancing partner was a young black woman and this is STILL the South and when things like that happen, well, it’s just a beautiful thing.
All too soon Ron (or is it Bo?) was saying, “we’re just getting started,” which means they’re about to sing My Girl and the show’s almost over. Why he says this I don’t know, but he does. In the middle of Bo’s rendition, my mother poked me on the arm and pointed. A lovely young woman who I’m assuming was the child’s mother had brought Bo’s daughter up to the stage with a rose that the concessionaires were selling. The little girl gave her Daddy the flower and Bo, in a fit of love began to sing to sing to her, “I guess you’d say, what can make me feel this way, MY GIRL!” and then I remember what the song was REALLY about. Smokey didn’t write that song about his wife, he wrote it about his daughter. Once again, I was on the verge of needing a tissue. O was to. :-)
My Girl was followed by the typical armature show. An attractive young woman in tight clothes, a middle aged goofy, non-dancing, non-singing white guy put up there to make a fool of himself and make the crowd laugh. But he was then followed by his wife, so that was a bit of a twist for me. Ending the show was the fill in cute kid for the night, but this one was especially adorable. I think his name was Sherman, cutie pie.
After cute, happy Sherman was escorted off stage, the guys did there little trade mark dance off the stage. I had already collected my stuff to leave when it hit me. “What are they doing?” Because they came back! “Ummmm?”
On the drive down to Chat. I had been thinking how it had been years since I had heard them sing “Can’t Get Next To You.” After jokingly begging, “WHO DO I HAVE TO SLEEP WITH TO GET TO HEAR THAT SONG AGAIN?” I’d given up hope of ever hearing it again.
“Hold up, wait a minute!” Terry said, to which I responded, “No, YOU hold up and wait a minute!!!! Why are you standing on the right side of the stage like that trying to tease me!” and then it came, the trumpets blaring, and I screamed again! And jumped and hit my head on the ceiling again!!!! “OMG THEY’RE DOING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
You know they OBVIOUSLY didn’t sing those two songs solely for my benefit, but a girl can dream can’t she?
I couldn’t believe it! I still can’t. Amazing. This may be the best show I’ve ever seen, no, it IS the best I’ve ever seen!
Sweet Lord Jesus take me now, ‘cause it just doesn’t get any better than this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~End~
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Post by sukkafu on Apr 26, 2002 1:18:19 GMT -5
u lucky laydee! i envy u!  i LOVED the show in temecula calif back in jan. but i was disappointed they didn't do cloud 9 or can't get next to you or psychedelic shack or masterpiece. but they have so many many great songs you can't say anything but they leave you beggin' for mo'!  hey ive, did they do all the songs in a row without stoppin? that's how it seemed to me- a whirlwind almost. did otis dance and how about harry?  |
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Post by cherjsc on Apr 26, 2002 7:52:09 GMT -5
Great review! I felt as though I was right there with you. Thanks for being so detailed |
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Post by charmonee3 on Apr 26, 2002 11:26:00 GMT -5
IVORY when I first read that the Temptations were going to be in Chattanooga I thought about you and also about how I wish I was visiting my SON at that time who lives just accross the border in Rossville, Georgia. Ever hear of Rossville While reading your concert review I was in the front row right WITH you. Girl I LOVE the front row and the attention the Temptations give ya. ;D I can't WAIT for a Temptation concert. I am so glad they are doing so great. I am truly addicted. I can never get enough of the Temptations. Their music has been playing in my life every day for decades. 8) |
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Post by BOdacious on Apr 26, 2002 14:11:18 GMT -5
IVORY!  I see you made it back in one piece. Way to go girl! It sounds like the guys truly put on a wonderful show. Front row? That's the ONLY way to go! I'm glad you got to hear "Ole Man River" that song really touches me too. Thanks for the great review and sharing that wonderfully beautiful experience with us. ;D So one of dem babies' mama was in da houze....huh? I would have loved to see BO singing to his daughter. You is nutz as usual! Head hitting the ceiling and hiding under your chair. LOL! |
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Post by sukkafu on Apr 26, 2002 14:14:38 GMT -5
charmonee i used to live with some christians who would always talk about a bible college in lookout mountain tennessee right near rossville georgia. is it still there? i can't remember the name- this was back in the late 70's. |
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Post by Ivory Fair on Apr 26, 2002 16:08:00 GMT -5
Hey Charm, nice to see you over here! I sure do know about Rossivlle ("Ross-vul".) You know how part of Kansas City is in Kansas and part in Missouri? That's how it is with Rossville. It's simply the part of Chattanooga that's in Georgia, differnt government and all that, but it's all the same city as far as we're concerned. (Well, except for that's the only part of town where you can buy lotto tickets, LOL!) I passed the Big River Grill where you ate that time and thought of you wondering how in the world you got from where you are to Chatt. Now I know! Hey Bo_d. I had been snapping photos all during the show, something I usualy don't do, and after one of the hundred times I stood up to cheer, I dropped my camera and it didn't work and more after that. Unfortunately that was BEFORE Bo's daughter came up to see him. It would have been a lovely shot. Sukka, I think you are talking about Covenant College that is on Lookout Mountain. It's real pretty, in what used to be an old hotel, you can see it if you are coming from Nashville. Unfortunately it's one claim to fame is that it's where the guy who killed John Lennon went to school. www.covenant.edu/undergrad/visit/index.html |
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Post by Ivory Fair on Apr 26, 2002 16:09:33 GMT -5
Sorry for all the typos. Can you all tell I didn't get much sleep last night? LOL!
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Post by BOdacious on Apr 26, 2002 16:12:42 GMT -5
Ivory! I'm shocked you made it back home so soon. I know your MOM was trying to get you to hang around. Check your e-mail girl! 8)
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Post by sukkafu on Apr 26, 2002 16:34:25 GMT -5
hey ive, that's right -covenant college. i knew quite a few kids from my brother's church who went to that school. didn't know about lennon,though. i am so amazed that you went to chattanooga -did you drive or fly? i 'm assuming you live somewhere in the east -va.,md, pa., dc.,n.c. or wherever. you must have the red eyes!  i bet though all the way home you were reliving that concert and the tunes were swimming in the old gray matter! ;D |
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Post by tdallasw on Apr 27, 2002 0:39:03 GMT -5
Well Ivory, I feel you, girl. I just got back home from the Tempts concert at CityFest Live here in Charlotte. Sounds like they did almost the same concert here. Didn't do "Ol' Man River" though... I would have loved it. But, I could not have asked for a better performance. Since this was an outdoor concert in downtown Charlotte, there was no seating - but who could sit when you're that excited anyway?. I, like you, was also right up front. When you get constant eye contact from them, it kinda makes your knees weak, doesn't it? Boy did they ever look sexy as hell tonight!!! Bright orange suits with shoes dyed to match . Black shirts and black and white tiger stiped hankerchiefs. CityFest is an annual outdoor music festival with 4 stages and lots of big name Rock groups like Bush, Kid Rock, No Doubt etc. Each stage has a different style. Most of the acts on the Turtles Music stage are R & B. The crowd at the stage where the Tempts performed was really pumped up and ready to have a ball. Ron is from Monroe, NC which is virtually a suburb of Charlotte, so he was right at home here. I am still in a daze 'cause I can't believe they are all even better looking than their most recent pictures. Doesn't O look wonderful? Looks like he has lost weight and is dancing better than ever. I am so tired right now. Maybe after the fog clears in my head I'll be able to tell more details about it. All I know is I have had some enchanted evening!!!  |
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Post by Ivory Fair on Apr 27, 2002 9:13:06 GMT -5
Yep Sukka, I decided it's really a bad idea for me to drive before or after a Tempts concert. Too hard to pay attention to the road. :-)
Tdallas, I WISH I could go to a show where there are no seats!!!! A friend and I are always joking that we want to go to a concert that has a dance floor right up front. We HATE to sit down. As a matter of fact, I had to PROMISE my mother that I would sit still and behave the other night or I wouldn't get my ticket! LOL!
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Post by Ivory Fair on Apr 29, 2002 21:09:00 GMT -5
Ok, the quality of these aren't so great, but here are a couple of photos from the other night....   and the quality on this one is really crappy, but o well  |
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