Gladys Knight At The Hollywood Bowl: A Review

 

Gladys Knight at the Hollywood Bowl

By Darlene Donloe

It’s easy to review a concert performance by Gladys Knight.

I’ve been a fan of Knight’s (GK) since her old Motown days. I’ve seen countless GK concerts, all of which left me an even bigger fan.

Under a balmy, stars-filled August sky, Knight, affectionately known as the Empress of Soul, took the huge, sold-out Hollywood Bowl stage and quickly had the appreciative crowd in the palm of her hand.

With more than seven decades of performing under her belt, Knight proved she’s still got it.  She still looks good, has stage presence, and her vocals….that voice is still full of emotions.

Dressed in all white - Knight, belying her 79 years, filled the air with her patented soulful vocals.  

As her 75-minute set began, Knight was seated in a chair on a platform just above the six-piece band. There were also three backup singers, all of whom were also dressed in white.

Her 17-song set opened with the Gladys Knight & The Pips song, ‘Taste of Bitter Love.’ She moved quickly into ‘Nitty Gritty’ and ‘Make Yours A Happy Home’ from the ‘Claudine’ soundtrack.

Gladys Knight

Knight, moving slowly but elegantly around the stage, while occasionally mixing in some shoulder moves, was pounded with requests from an audience member for nearly every song to ‘Do it Again.’  It became a running bit throughout the night as well as the constant chorus of “We Love You” from the same audience member. Each time Knight simply replied, ‘I love you, too.’

Next up for Knight were some of her signature songs including ‘Every Beat of My Heart,’ ‘Love Overboard,’ ‘Best Thing,’ ‘Oh What A Love I Have Found’ and ‘If I Were Your Woman.”

It didn’t really matter what song Knight was singing, she was performing before her fans who responded enthusiastically to her every twitch and warble.

Her unassailable performance continued with ‘On and On,’ ‘Imagination,’ ‘Save the Overtime,’ ‘Heard It Through The Grapevine,’ ‘Neither One of Us,’ ‘Hey Jude,’ and ‘The Way We Were.’

Knight made it a point to tell the audience how “blessed” and thankful she was for the career she had.

She then let loose with a gospel medley that included ‘Stand’ and ‘Take Me To The King.’  She remained seated throughout the gospel set and allowed her sensational background singers to take the lead.

Knight, known for singing with passion, ended her affecting show with her hit song ‘Midnight Train to Georgia.’

Gladys Knight, who can sing the phone book and make it sound like a hit, continues to be one of music’s royals.

Peabo Bryson

Knight’s opening act was none other than yummy balladeer Peabo Bryson whose singing was clear and strong with his luscious high notes and patented phrase endings.

It was clearly a white-themed night as Bryson and his five-piece band and two female background singers were also dressed in white.

There aren’t many crooners left in the industry who can seduce an audience quite like Bryson, who has already solidified his place with such songs as ‘If You’re In My Arms Again,’ ‘Tonight I Celebrate My Love,’ ‘Can You Stop the Rain,’ and ‘King of Sorrow.’

Bryson, whose sets are always cool and relaxed, kicked off his 40-minute set with ‘Reaching for the Sky.’

He sang two Disney favorites including ‘A Whole New World’ (Aladdin’s Theme), which he originally sang with Regina Belle, and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ made famous from his duet with Celine Dion.

He ended his set with the luscious 1977 hit, ‘Feel the Fire,’ which received tremendous applause.

Knight and Bryson make for a great night at the Bowl!