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Post by sukkafu on Mar 15, 2003 2:45:06 GMT -5
i have been a member of this board for almost since the beginning,and i have even participated in negative comments about theo and also concert reviews. some people said that the tops are lifeless and have no show like the tempts. after tonight, i have to tell you that you are absolutely positively............
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Post by sukkafu on Mar 15, 2003 3:36:39 GMT -5
WRONG WRONG WRONG!
on the way up, we listened to the platters live for a minute, with only you, my prayer, and other hits, then we listened to a minute or two of the tempts
live at the copa, then a few live mccartney songs, then the tempts/supremes.
we got to pechanga resort and they have just rebuilt this place into a las vegas style 14 story resort hotel casino.the buffet was $16.95 but we ate crab legs, shrimp, mussels, clams, prime rib, lamb, turkey, pork chops, they had 17 salads,12 different veggies, 39 desserts, chinese food, mexican food, italian pasta bar, ice cream machines,chicken and sausage soup,fruits and melons, and free soft drinks. it has a SPECTACULAR SHOWROOM-we were 22 feet from the stage in terrific seats for $30! the stage was fabulous , the room's acoustics were amazing, and probably 900+ of the 1200 seats were filled.
the show starts with an intro by the 12 piece band led by george roundtree who's been with the tops 27 yrs!
a very tight group of pro musicians. the lighting and staging was fabulous. then the intro ,in which they say every show is dedicated to the memory of lawrence payton, and out comes the tops dressed in black suits with white shirts and white ties. they sing baby i need your lovin' and then they
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Post by Aba21 on Mar 15, 2003 11:28:38 GMT -5
Sukkafu........I'm holding my breath......where's the rest?
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Post by MikeNYC on Mar 15, 2003 14:02:36 GMT -5
I'm sure the show was good,but Levi Stubbs would have made it GREAT ! No two ways about it .
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Post by sukkafu on Mar 15, 2003 14:22:40 GMT -5
what happened ? i spent one hour posting every song, every move, every thing that happened , then i clicked , assumed it all went through, then i get an email from t dallas about finishing my post! i put everything down!  sometimes this board really sucks!  i'm pretty busy getting ready for a wedding. i'll catch up with you later.  |
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Post by Jonel on Mar 15, 2003 23:12:06 GMT -5
Awwwwwwwww A wedding is more important than the rest of the concert? ;D Just kidding. I like your details about dinner. I can just see George Roundtree and the band and then .......... boom. Sukka has to go. Raspberries.  Seriously, I know exactly how you feel. In the olden days, we used to post our thoughts and concert reviews at Imusic and that board operated much the same as this one, in that we learned (the hard way) to save our review or thoughts first on a word processing application and then cut and paste it to the board. Hurry back! Any pictures of Theo? |
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Post by sukkafu on Mar 16, 2003 2:38:34 GMT -5
a VERRRRRRRRRYY unhappy sukkafu is about to give it up and leave this board. i just sat down for one MORE hour and put together a detailed post of sights,songs, sounds, and quips, just like last night. then i hit post and boom! the board wouldn't post it and i lost ALL my work for the 2nd straight night! i guess when it's posting worthless stuff like this complaint it'll WORK! SEE! WHEN IT'S NONSENSE IT WORKS! 1%-) |
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Post by sukkafu on Mar 16, 2003 2:52:11 GMT -5
okay, one more stinking time! the announcer says that every show is dedicated to the memory of lawrence payton. they came out singing baby i need your loving in black suits with white ties and white shirts and white hankies in lapels. they had black shoes with gold buckles.
then they welcomed the crowd and said we'll get comfy and took off their ties and opened their collars and unbuttoned the top 2 buttons.
they sang bernadette, keeper of the castle, standing in the shadows of love, walk away renee, shake me wake me when it's over, still waters run deep, it's all in the game,it's the same old song, there's something about you, it's your thing, always and forever,ask the lonely,we gotta stick together, ain't no woman like the one i got, when she was my girl, reach out i'll be there, can't help myself (sugar pie honey bunch).
IF I WAS A WOMAN, I D' GO AFTER THEO! he played the girls like putty. the crowd gave him 4 standing ovations!
THEO FINE AND THEO CAN SANG!
that man had duke fakir calling him reverend peoples after the always and forever number-theo did a 10 minute version.
the band was tight- the drummer was hot, the brass was crunchy and riffs were precision. the sax player named earl smith was blowin'.
the tops were doing more movement than on any video i've seen or the motown 25 show.
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Post by sukkafu on Mar 16, 2003 3:02:44 GMT -5
the crowd was totally into it! they were dancing and we got up a half dozen times. theo worked the crowd over pretty good and they fed off him.
obie benson was spry as a 19 yr old, and really was acting silly . he'd ask the folks to hug each other real tight -he'd demonstrate by wrapping his arms around himself! he sang bass a la lou rawls very effectively and had a ball .
duke fakir was singing great and dancing really hard too.
they did a bunch of moves that reminded you of tempts and cholly atkins . i was surprised that someone said they didn't do their hits. i was happy with theo's renditions of the songs.
the folks i sat next to went to the otis 3.5 tempts show with me at pechanga last yr and they said the tops were livelier and much more entertaining.
theo was cracking up on stage when he went to croon to some guy's lady in the front row and the guy was jealous so he pushed at theo to leave. the girl was enthralled and so her fella got mad!
it was acoustically perfect. the stage was fabulous, the seating was up close and intimate, the lighting was better than the tempts with their thick fog red light look.
the people on either side of me were dismayed after the levi announcement, but at the end they were impressed at theo's excellent renditions.
i went up and thanked abdul duke fakir for his performance and shook his hand and he thanked me as well.
ronnie mcneir sang the pants off that ask the lonely song.
he was very impressive- lawrence payton would've been proud of ronnie's efforts.
theo really won me over. he is a good looking guy with a terrific voice and he did a marvelous job playing with the crowd and the tops were in sync dancing and sweeping their arms to the floor like the old tempts used to do!
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Post by sukkafu on Mar 16, 2003 3:16:00 GMT -5
they sang we all gotta stick together which they said did well overseas but not here in america. it was a song about harmony among us . duke said it was written by the moody blues for the tops!
ronnie and theo added a youthful dimension, but they were really in sync with obie and duke and really seemed to have respect for the legacy and the songs they were singing.obie kept shaking his behind and duke was very active. i wonder if theo helped rub the tempts show off these guys.
1200 seats -900+ in the crowd- a nice man next to me in his late 60's -said he went to junior and senior high with one of the coasters- i think he said cornelius gray?
the girls were screaming theo and ronnie's names and kept dancing and jumping.
i kept imagining that i could see ivory fair in the front doing her dance and grabbing theo's hand when he strolled over to croon. i know she'd have been moving
to the music!
they were very very tight about cameras. i did not see
ONE FLASH of anything all night.
no photos , but they were definitely on.
i know alot of you will say, can't compare to the tempts. well, these tops had one recovering from surgery of the uvula, and still pulled off a magnificent show. they had
4 . the tempts last yr had 4 with a man missing . so the playing field was level, but the tops came out on top in my book.
i will see otis' group in april and in july . i'll see what it is like with a full crew of 5.
the tix were only 30 bucks . the other shows like dana carvey and the group chicago were 75 bucks.
definitely a tour de force performance. every body sang together with theo and filled in the lines on sugar pie,
danced, and were loud with cheers.
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Post by sukkafu on Mar 16, 2003 3:18:55 GMT -5
the music director has been with them since 1977!
he was an assistant pianist at the time, and is now the music director.
the band was introduced one by one , and theo and ronnie sang their names in a tribute to the band members.
they said ronnie mcneir was a las vegas guy, that theo was a las vegas and l.a. guy, and that duke and obie were detroit natives.
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Post by Aba21 on Mar 16, 2003 12:31:33 GMT -5
Great posts...sukkafu. I am so glad to hear that they were good. I had no doubt that Theo was good. I just wanted to hear someone say he wasn't trying to be Levi. I think he knows who he is and can stand on his own merit. THe TEmptations lost a good man when THeo left or was fired or whatever the hell Otis did. The TOps are lucky to have him and as good a singer as he is he can old down the fort until Levi returns. THat was wonderful Sukkafu. I know you guys had a super time at the show!!!!! ;D ;D
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Post by sukkafu on Mar 16, 2003 15:24:54 GMT -5
THANKS GUYS! ;D the amazing thing is the tops were so lively. maybe the pechanga indians gave them some special blessing before the show! anyway, it was interesting how they did it's all in the game. it was a funky midtempo version, then in the middle they sang it's your thing by the isley brothers, then went back to all in the game again. theo was so on fire during the always and forever number that obie benson waved a towel at him to cool him off! theo bent over to the front row and the girls were eating him up. abdul duke fakir asked the crowd- did you like that? we cheered! he asked again. i can't tell! do you like theo? we stood up and screamed. theo said -do you really like that? we almost stormed the stage! theo said- let me see you work it then! we all got up and everybody danced to a song or two. theo would sometimes pass the mike to the front row for a line. he said, i'm tired from that last number-you know the words- help me sing sugar pie! we did!!! LEVI STUBBS HE IS NOT NOR NEVER WILL BE! BUT NOBODY WAS TRYING TO BE FOOLED! WE ALL KNEW IT WOULD BE DIFFERENT- BUT IT ENDED UP THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE! WE MISS YOU LEVI, BUT THEO CAN DO SUPER RENDITIONS IN THE INTERIM! |
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Post by Jonel on Mar 16, 2003 20:19:52 GMT -5
2-) 2-) 2-) THANK YOU SUKKA!!!! What a WONDERFUL concert! I love the way Ronnie McNeir does "Ask the Lonely". Just when you think "this guy can't hit that high note"...he hits it and it is breathtaking. I also love Theo and Ronnie together. Doesn't Obie act like a teenager? So much energy. I was so impressed. And Duke is so smooth...what a showman! Thanks so much for hanging in there with the board and posting your review. And you are so right about Theo being his own person. Levi is Levi. Theo is Theo. The same thing happened when Ali Woodson came to the Tempts. Ali brought his own style and personality. He could never replace Dennis because Dennis has his own energy and talent. The same with Ruffin. No one can do Ruffin...except maybe Leon..... |
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Post by sukkafu on Mar 16, 2003 21:29:07 GMT -5
it was a major mind set change- a paradigm shift if you will- and i am glad to be wrong! jonel, ronnie mcneir was a showman! it was evident! the four tops were tops in my book! tempts are too! review and the others! enough love for everyone to go around!  ivory -where is you ? i thought you'd be the first one in line on anything theo related!  |
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