The Temptations and Four Tops keep the beat

Four Tops-

Sunday July 11th was the kick-off for the Tulalip Resort Casino Summer Concert Series at its amphitheatre.

The weather had been blistering hot for days before the show, but the temperature came down to a manageable 70 something degrees making it a comfortable evening for a show under the stars.

With groups like The Temptations and Four Tops, you never know what to expect other than their familiar songs.  What I mean is- that if you’ve been around for forty sum-years, there’s bound to be lineup changes in the group.  With that being said, all of the non-original members of both groups performed with top-notch precision, filling the shoes of the original members.  And for many of us, it wouldn’t and didn’t make a difference.

It’s amazing to me that groups like this who churned out hit after hit just aren’t out there anymore.  New performers who get discovered now-a-day seem to be made by marketing geniuses rather than performers paying their dues and moving up the ranks.  What seems to be the norm now is how hot is your youtube presence at the moment, and how many fans are linked to your page.

Anyhow, on with the show…  The Temptations hit the stage first in their black and white striped suits and performed many of their hits with with choreographed dance moves.  Songs that many people will always remember like; Papa Was A Rolling Stone (1972) , Ball Of Confusion (1970) , My Girl (1965), Just My Imagination (1971) only to name a few.

There was no opening act here, this was a double bill, and you could have put either one of the groups first or second and it would have made no difference.

The Four Tops hit the stage just as the sun was beginning to set behind the trees, and everyone was headed back to their seats; but it wouldn’t be for long.  Once they started playing, people were out of their chairs dancing and singing.  I think everyone there had a smile on their face.

Just a side note,  the Four Tops performed with their original lineup for 44 years until late 1997 when one of its original members died.  Today there’s only one remaining original member of the group (Abdul “Duke” Fakir) who continues to perform all over the world.  (Levi Stubbs (deceased), Renaldo “Obie” Benson (deceased), Lawrence Payton (deceased))

It was my first time seeing these guys, but I can say that it was a heartfelt performance and it seems that they never get tired of performing their great and many hits to fans night after night.

I’m sure that many of you out there are just like me, and when you hear a song you say; they did that?  Motown really did have the hit makers back then!

Here’s just a short list of some of the Four Tops hits from 1964 – 1974, and they have a new 2010 album too.