After many changes in members, hit songs, tours and much more, The Temptations and Four Tops celebrated the history of Motown at the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center on Friday night.
First to perform was Four Tops, a band from Detroit, Michigan, which formed in 1953. Abdul (Duke) Fakir, the only remaining member of the original band, performed despite still healing from a broken hip.
The audience greeted the band as they walked onto the stage in purple suits.
Four Tops now consists of Fakir, Ronnie McNeir, Alexander Morris and Roquel Payton. The band sang some of their hits including “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “It’s the Same Old Song,” “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” “What’s Going On” and “When She Was My Girl.”
The concert coincided with the anniversary of a couple in the audience, to which Four Tops dedicated their ballad “I Believe In You and Me.” It also took the time to pay tribute to the deceased members of the band, which Fakir said it does each performance.
“It’s bittersweet,” Fakir said in reference to performing with the new band members.
Four Tops ended its set with one of its most famous songs, “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” to which the audience sang and danced along.
The Temptations took the stage while an introduction announced the musical, “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temp- tations” which broke existing records and will move to Broadway starting Feb. 28. A movie produced by Warner Bros. will also be released in 2020.
The band was dressed in white and black suits, and like Four Tops, only has one of its original members left — Otis Williams. The Temptations formed in 1961 and have won three GRAMMYs, as well as inductions into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame and Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame. They also have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Terry Weeks, Otis Williams, Ron Tyson, Larry Braggs and Willie Green are all members of The Temptations. They sang their hits “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “Get Ready,” “Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue),” “The Way You Do The Things You Do” and “My Imagination (Running Away With Me).”
The group also dedicated the song “I Wish It Would Rain,” to the former members of the group. The Temptations harmonized like the original members did to practice in the band’s early days. They then performed a cover of “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith.
The band thanked service members in the audience and re-introduced themselves to the crowd before ending with their “anthem,” “My Girl.
The Temptations recently released an album in 2018 called “The Temptations: All the Time,” which was available to purchase after the show.
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