Concert Reviews (from other boards)

[sukkafu]

i don't even have a dog, because i'm always in the doghouse!

[Aba21]

bow wow wow yippie yo yippie yay! bow wow yippie yo yippie yay!

[sukkafu]

now shave yo head and put on the shades!

[janebse]

ABA21,

I am sure that "poor old me" is a technique you use to allure girls, not dogs. You seem to have a sweet, lovable, non-confrontational yet personality, albeit it one that sticks to one's beliefs.

Tomorrow is the day. It's always a strain to bring people who aren't as die-hard as you are. You see, it doesn't matter to me if they fall down or if they sing off-key. I'll love them anyway and forgive them. However, I will be disappointed because I want them to show why they are the GREAT, LEGENDARY, TEMPTING TEMPTATIONS.

Thank you, Ivory, for putting in the author of that review. I thought I had, and I did the first time but the screen said the message was too long so I took some off to make two messages and inadvertently took off referral to author.

[janebse]

Sukka,

There will be your review of the Richard Street show. Isn't this an exciting weekend for this board?

[Aba21]

janebse---Isn't it great when you take someone to a show that hasn't seen them before or in a long time? It has never failed that when I do they come away having a better understanding of why I feel like I do.
And the reason I'm not confrontational is because when you're 6ft 8in tall and weigh 265lbs you don't have to be. And You're right I stick to my beliefs but I am open to hear others like you who may not have seem them in the ways I have but nonetheless are as passioate about them as much as I am and maybe even more. I salute you.

[Aba21]

O h yes.........And I will be waiting very patiently for your review this weekend including how the people reacted that went with you if you can take your eyes off the fellows for one minute.

[sukkafu]

janey, i let you guys down... - i didn't go. i am sorry. my constance is sick and also i'm trying to help my oldest son get a place for his family to live. it's been a very tough weekend and i sadly let richard go. i am in contact with his people about upcoming dates and i will notify y'all about it!

[tdallasw]

sukkafu-
if you had put Richard ahead of your family, we'd all be very disappointed in you. I'm sorry you didn't get to go, but James and Conti needed you more than Richard. Our prayers are with them... and with you, too. Having the love and support of their fathers, both you and the one above, will make everything turn out alright.

[sukkafu]

:-*to my dear pal tdallas w!

conti and elise stayed home today from church because conti was coughing so bad. she had 4 nebulizer treatments of albuterol.

[janebse]

Here is my report on the Four Tops/Temptations Concert of October 13 in Sarasota, Florida. The concert took place in the Performing Arts Center which is on the Gulf of Mexico. We sat on the patio watching Palm trees sway in soft breezes as the sun set. The temperature was perfect. (With all those clichés I should add “the golden sun set in the west.”) My seat was the best seat I have ever had at a Temptation performance, and it was very, very comfortable. I have never been so close. It was wonderful. Everything contributed to making this a wonderful evening. There was a sold-out house, and that was good.

There were several reasons why I had chosen to go to this particular concert. One reason was that I simply wanted to see the Tops and Tempts performing live and compare them myself. That reason was complicated by the fact that I was taking relatives with me who were curious as to why I was so enthusiastic about the Temptations. And a further complication was that my brother was a musician with perfect pitch who wouldn’t just accept my view of the Tempts without actual proof.

Another reason was that I had never seen Theo perform. I have CD’s with him singing, but I wanted to see him in action. I wondered what he was like in performance and in what ways being a Top had changed him or the Tops.

The Tops came on first. They wore bronze suits with matching shoes. Everyone knows what Obie and Duke sound like. So I am just going to be talking about Theo and his performance with the Tops. I wasn’t impressed with Ronald. Duke said Levi was coming along, the doctors were working with him, and he might be back in a couple of months. Since I have been hearing that comment for several months, I am not sure how much credence to give to it.

My first reaction was rather startling. “Theo is a Tempt. He is a Tempt in the midst of Tops. He moves like a Tempt, he sings like a Tempt, he dances like a Tempt. There is no Tops in him.” Temptation stood out all over Theo. It was startling because I expected he would have been molded into Tops format after all these years. But he stood out. Theo was a Tempt, and the rest were Tops.

Theo sang a song whose title I don’t know, but it had the words “My Girl” in it, and they were repeated and repeated. At the end of it, Duke says, with raised eyebrows, “My Girl, Theo?” The audience laughed with the reference to the signature song of the Temptations. I was rather puzzled because I could not see how it would benefit the Tops to make this reference. What was the reason for making sure everyone knew that Theo had a Tempts connection? How would it help the Tops?

Theo had a number of solos. And in some of these he was left completely alone on the stage. There was no pretense that this was a Four Tops production. The rest of the Tops were either off stage or in the darkened background. It was Theo alone. Theo was definitely the star. And I must admit he has a magnetic stage presence.

One song I found particularly interesting. Its dance movements were definitely Temptation dance movements. They bore no relationship to any movement I had ever seen in a Tops performance on video. And those movements got the biggest applause from the audience. And, again, it was Theo’s movements that fascinated the audience.

Yes, Theo did the hand waving and bending from the waist movement, but he never looked too enthusiastic about it. But in that one dance that looked like a Temptation dance, he took the audience along with him.

Theo does not add to the cohesiveness of the Tops. He just stands out. And I kept thinking, “He’s a Temptation. There’s no way he’s a Top.” I have no idea what Obie and Duke think of the little ugly duckling they took in who turned out to be a swan.

[janebse]

Part Two of Review:

.After the intermission, the Temptations came on. The audience had been most appreciative of the Tops program. And I was worried. The Tempts were coming after a long-series of one-night stands that would continue for another couple of months. Would they be tired?

They walked out on the stage after their a capella introduction, and the audience stood in honor. Except for the intro they hadn’t done a thing (and the Tops had also done the same kind of intro). But the audience knew who they were and what they were and they stood in recognition of what they were before a note had been sung or a step had been danced.

You don’t get to be #1 in the world for all time without practice, practice, and practice. And it showed. Their synchronization, their dance steps, their voices—perfect in every way. What can I say? It was amazing.

They didn’t wear any of their flashy suits that night. They were elegant and classy; they wore black suits with long jackets, white shirts, and red handkerchiefs. In every way they said, “We are the Temptations. We are the world’s best male vocal group ever.” And then they showed why.

At first I wrote down the titles of the songs to share with everyone, but then I gave up and just enjoyed the concert. Writing in the dark is not fun. They sang a different set of songs than I had heard in my previous concerts which pleased me no end. I got to see the dance steps to new songs. They sang “Stay.” Terry was the lead singer in “My Girl.” Bo did a few vocal acrobatics with the song.

I am going to put it very simply. THEY MADE THE FOUR TOPS LOOK LIKE AMATEURS. The Tempts precision made the Tops look disorganized. And the singing. I had never heard Ron Tyson sing “Just My Imagination” so beautifully. Maybe it was my good seat, but their voices all sounded good. Bo and Terry did the thing with the microphone going up and down. There is so much I wanted to mention. I wish I could videotape it and see it over and over again. Since I’ve seen them four times in 5 months, I thought I might find them stale or me bored, but this was the best ever. They were better than I’ve ever seen them.

[AKA THE FUF]

janebse, it look like you enjoyed yourself young lady. The Temptations shine no matter who's with them. Thanks for the review since I must catch up on all the going on's around here. And sukka, Thanks for keeping me informed. I'll see how long this computer will stay up this time around. Hi Ivy, and to all The Temptations' info family. ;D

[sukkafu]

jane. i am glad you had a great time. i couldn't agree with you more about the tempts, although i can give a little more compassion to the tops. i saw 3.5 tempts in january- no harry, and otis was on a chair recovering from a knee operation. so there was no bass and 3 tempts dancing. they were still good, but i was a little disappointed that i got 2/3 of a loaf.they certainly didn't discount the tickets for the less than the full group show. the tops probably were doing their best based on 2 guys out and 1 guy dead. levi IS the tops, and i would be less than excited to have theo peoples as his replacement- i don't care if theo was better than dennis or david=which he isn't-
but i can understand injured teams why they don't win games.

[janebse]

The films I have seen of the Four Tops in action did seem to have more unity. Theo was so magnetic that he just stood out. I do not know if he appeared that way as a Temptation. But then, as I said, he looked and acted like a Tempt, so maybe he just fit in as a Temptation. Imagine David Ruffin as a Tops, and you get the picture. There is something to be said for physical imagery as part of the total package. I think that's one reason the Miracles always appeared a wee bit strange.