![]() ![]() “Providing our neighbors in Queens and the greater metropolitan area first-rate, culturally diverse entertainment will continue to be the KCA mission in the years and decades to come.” “It is very gratifying that the Kupferberg Center for the Arts has grown and thrived since its founding in 2007,” said Queens College President Félix V. Queens, NY, September 13, 2017- The Kupferberg Center for the Arts (KCA) will mark the milestone of its 10 th Anniversary with a special roster of world-class artists who reflect the diverse borough of Queens-aptly called “the world’s borough” by Queens BP Melinda Katz. That wasn’t trickery – simply good songs.- Grammy-Winner Gladys Knight, Folk Singer Peter Yarrow, The TEN Tenors and Sweet Honey in the Rock Are Among the Artists Who Will Appear. And it closed with an eight-minute version of “For the Love of Money.” ![]() The group finished strong, playing Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” as an intro to “Love Train.” “Use Ta Be My Girl” was a bit weak, but still a good song. And the group’s 1970s-era synchronized dancing in its purple jump suits was sometimes campy.īut it seemed to win over the crowd simply by playing those hits, such as “Backstabbers,” “Darlin’ Darlin’ Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love)” and “Let Me Make Love to You,” for which the crowd yelped and cheered. The group also used some tricks to keep its show moving: Some humor, long introductions. Some were very disco (“I Love Music Part I”), others slow and intense (“Stairway to Heaven,” “Cry Together”). In a 15-song set, it played all its biggest hits – astonishingly, 11 of the songs it played were No. The two original members, Eddie Levert and Walter Williams, also are in their ’70s.īut its set could be best described with the group’s 1971 R&B chart-topper, “Give the People What They Want” (a funky version of which it played as the second song): The O’Jays barreled ahead, playing its songs with gusto, backed by a 10-man band, despite whatever shortcomings it had. Supporting act The O’Jays – which strangely took the stage after Knight – also was clearly diminished from its 1970s heyday – when it released eight gold or platinum hits. Maybe that’s what becomes of a singer who voice has gone from Pips to pooped. Her encore was a medley of two gospel songs: “Worthy is the Lamb” and “Let the Church Say Amen,” which were much more in the range of Knight’s voice these days. Knight appeared to make a strong effort on her chart-topper “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye),” but in truth, it was the strength of the song itself that made its performance a success.Īnd she closed with “Midnight Train to Georgia” that also had energy, but was presented in a Muzak version, with little of the soul that made it Knight’s biggest hit. That demonstrated that perhaps attending a Gladys Knight concert these days is more about seeing a legend who has meant so much to so many over the years rather than judging her on her current vocal chops. ![]() (She still got a partial standing ovation). But she stylized the vocal delivery instead of singing it straight. Probably her best vocal efforts were Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were,” which she sang from a stool. On “I Don’t Want to Do Wrong,” she pushed to maintain a strong note, and performed nicely on her 1974 chart-topper “The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me.” There were other songs on which Knight sang in a more traditional fashion. For one of her biggest hits, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” Knight had the near-sellout audience participate and carry much of the song. ![]()
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