Gladys knight concert forum10/3/2023 I looked around and when that transition was made I saw some jaws drop and even saw one man mouth to his friend, “Ok here we go!”. But just when you got settled into that groove, Knight and her impressive band transitioned into the version Gladys made famous with The Pips. First off, her Empressness started the song in the style of Marvin Gaye’s iconic recording of the song. But it was so much better than I had anticipated. It was impossible for that performance to go be bad. That was the case when Gladys Knight performed “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”. There are times in a show when you know you’re going to hear a song, and you already expect that song to be good, but somehow the performance exceeds your expectations. It was one of my favorite moments of the evening and it really connected the audience with the Soul Music Legend. It felt almost as if she was actually telling us about her. It’s such a beautiful song and she performed it in a storytelling way. Knight stated, “I’m just going to tell you a few things about me, ok?” as she went right into, “Oh What A Love I Have Found”. I was getting a little jealous because they looked like they were having so much fun. But they kept their feelings subdued compared to the box seat folks. A few people from the Orchestra Level seating would get up from time to time. It was clear that they were all together and they were having the time of their lives. Entire boxes full of people were up dancing with plenty of room to spare. I looked up into the box seats and realized that’s where the party was. One, in particular, was when the 1987 hit, “Love Overboard” started. I loved hearing the audience’s reaction when they’d hear their favorite songs start to play. I’m sure she was still able to enjoy the show. Some people don’t get out much I take it. So we’re close!”.Īt 8:13 the lights went out and as it went dark, the last image I saw before the crowd went dark and the stage lit up was that woman smirking at me as if to say, “You were off by 3 minutes!”. In all my years of going to concerts, an artist going on 13 minutes after the announced showtime is probably the best I’ve ever seen. I had been given a little inside information so I told the lady, ‘I just heard that Gladys usually goes on at 8:10. As I was getting my camera situated at 8:05 pm a woman looked at me and said, “She’s late”. The concert had an announced starting time of 8 pm. Some people were so excited they started to get a little irritated at what they deemed a late start. I mean, Billy Ocean’s “Caribbean Queen” was playing on the PA. People were getting pumped up for the show to begin. Photo Credit: Kevin RolfeĪs I mentioned there was a general excitement for this concert. I was excited to get to experience her concert. Gladys Knight has had an extensive and illustrious career. Answers varied from this being, like me, their first time having the pleasure of seeing her to people who have been with her since the beginning when Knight began her career in the 60s. I asked a few people if they had seen Ms. Gladys Knight fans know how to get gussied up! I had a collared shirt on and I felt very underdressed! Some were dressed like they were going to a movie premiere or an awards ceremony. I could tell by looking at the audience that many people also considered this night a big deal. It was an occasion where the venue fit the artist perfectly. The “Empress of Soul” played a Friday evening show at the beautiful Eccles Theater in Downtown Salt Lake City. But it’s not often that we’re completely floored by the opportunity to cover a legend like Gladys Knight. We cover a lot of concerts here at Utah Concert Review. Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe Photo Credit: Kevin Rolfe
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