There are certain events you have to be at, and this was one of them: bittersweet, and so very emotional. The US and UK’s pop, rock and folk ruled the airwaves and the world in the 1960s, Motown very much included. What memories this writer has from way back when listening to the sounds of the Motor City blasting from our new stereo console cabinet.
On what looked to be a sold-out night at the Cardiff International Arena, the experience and history going on was truly one for the books, with Motown icons The Four Tops and The Temptations in the house – and, my-oh-my, some fine-looking men and women onstage.
Fabulous support was on hand, in the form of Odyssey. Leader Steven Collazo, carrying on the memory of his mother Lillian Lopez who started the band, was joined by current singers KayJay Sutherland and Michelle John. Native New Yorker, Odyssey’s 1977 disco smash, was done, as were others including UK No. 1 Use It Up And Wear It Out and Inside Out. Collazo could really shake a tail feather, and all the vocals were on; too bad the venue’s sound let them down in parts.
With a crowd ranging from fans who were likely in their teens during the two headliners’ heyday, to their grandchildren tagging along to see the real deal, it was a slight disappointment to learn one of the Four Tops’ main leads – Alexander Morris, who joined in 2019 – was absent with COVID. Not to worry. A keyboardist helped out on the group’s opener, the 1964 million-seller, Baby I Need Your Loving, and the excellent Lawrence Payton, Jr. continued doing the lion’s share of lead vocals.
Gasps were heard from the audience when Duke Fakir, the last surviving founding member, sadly announced this would be his final time as a Four Top touring the UK. Even at 86 – and with the Tops for almost 70 years! – and did sit down now and again, age couldn’t dull his zeal, or the twinkle in his eyes. Even temporarily turning into a trio didn’t dampen their enthusiasm as they continued with rousing favourite songs Bernadette, It’s The Same Old Song and Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s Over).
Then it was time, as Fakir said, “to pay tribute to our three fallen brothers.” They do that for a number of reasons, he continued, one being that they were all family: “just like this, for 44 wonderful years.” We learned Lawrence Payton had a great musical ear, the creator of the Four Tops’ sound; that Renaldo ‘Obie’ Benson had the happiest smile, not an enemy in the world and loved everything and everybody; and that mighty baritone-vocalled Levi Stubbs was wanted by many to be their lead vocalist but stayed loyal to the Tops. Luther Vandross’ tender Dance With My Father was poignantly performed by Payton Jr, bringing out his brother to duet in honour of his dad, and smooth Ronnie McNeir did justice to Marvin Gaye’s groundbreaking What’s Going On, co-written by Benson.
Things shifted into high gear again when the crowd was invited to come on up and dance, and the men in elegant black sequined jackets and tuxedo trousers got everyone moving again with the likes of transatlantic No.1 Reach Out I’ll Be There and their first American chart-topper, I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch).
The houselights go down and we can hear the sound of a radio station dial being turned, fragments of tonight’s headliners coming through. Backed by a full band with a brass section, as with the Tops, the Temptations are decked out in snazzy lemon suits as they rip into Get Ready. Captain and man of many hats, Otis Williams, long-time lead vocalists Ron Tyson and Terry Weeks and the two newbies Tony Grant and bass Jawan M. Jackson demonstrated why they’re powerhouses of soul, R&B and even psychedelia – including Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong compositions Ball Of Confusion (That’s What The World Is Today), Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone And I Can’t Get Next To You. I Wish It Would Rain is accompanied by dramatic sound and lighting, while Tyson’s gorgeous falsetto heads up Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me).
‘Otis’ Pampering Time’ makes for a fun break, with the guys fussing over the sole original Temp: with his 81st birthday on Sun 30 Oct, Williams can still make the ladies swoon, while the quintet still have the moves, including their famous Temptations Walk. To commemorate a milestone anniversary, a Temptations 60 album has been released, with Smokey Robinson-penned single Is It Gonna Be Yes Or No sung. here Another Robinson co-write – My Girl, the Temps’ national anthem – closed out an electrifying concert. The note-perfect musicians were as right-on as prime Funk Brothers; songs by Holland-Dozier-Holland were as fantastic as ever.
Both the Four Tops and the Temptations closed their respective sets by greeting audience members up close, and we radiated it back; some of us even rushed the stage to be serenaded, oh lord! Opposite Fakir, I placed my hand on my heart as a silent thank you and he reciprocated. Bless. Peace to those members no longer on earth, and another THANK YOU: a timeless soundtrack to our lives, bringing so much warmth, joy and passion.
The Four Tops + The Temptations, Cardiff International Arena, Mon 10 Oct
words RHONDA LEE REALI photos EMMA LEWIS
