Temptations Delight of Fans In Lively Show at SPAC

by Marilyn Nason, The Post-Star, June 28, 1971

If Saratoga Performing Arts Center amphitheatre were not securely cemented in place, it would certainly have moved several feet Saturday night thanks to the fantastic high tempo of the show and the swinging rapport of the more than 5,000 attending.

The Temptations Show has to be classified as one of the swingingest, liveliest, most exciting show ever at SPAC.

The audience was composed of truly devoted, knowledgeable fans of this excellent group and let the performers know it the entire evening. But unlike the Tom Jones afternoon crowd which kept racing up and down the aisles and disturbing others in the audience, this audience stayed in its seats but beat time with hands and feet, whistled, sang and hollered and had a ball. And it not only wasn’t disturbing, it added an infectious ingredient to the show.

As with all the specials at SPAC in recent years, the “stars” never appear for the first half of the show. Sometime it would be interesting to know what happened to the announcement of SPAC officials a few years ago that at least a token appearance by the star was expected in both halves of a performance.

Opening the show were the Orbiteers, eight New Orleans musicians, who offered Motown sound as good as we’ve ever heard. It was strong, brassy, big band and high tempo. Next were the Swift Movement, three young men in flaming red pants and flared tunics with white shirts, who kept up the tempo with a half dozen good tunes.

Then the Betty Hutton of the Motown sound, Yvonne Fair, came on stage and is this gal something to watch and hear, backed by 13 musicians and a conductor. She sings and dances up a storm in a very unusual black fringed dress.

Following intermission, it was the Temptations minus Otis Williams, who, they said, was recovering from an operation. In true “the show must go on tradition,” they offered an hour of excellent songs, breathless choreography and good showmanship.

Even minus a member, the four remaining Temptations are something in themselves. Highlight was Dennis Edwards’ solo of “He’s My Brother” and that really brought down the house.

They’re all excellent lead singers, seem able to outdance Fred Astaire while still singing and hardly seemed to be showing the strain at all. Billed as a soul group, they really seem to cover the whole range of today’s music from their current hit, “It’s Just My Imagination” to “My Way” and some spirituals.

Needless to say, they got a standing, shouting ovation at the end and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see all five Temptations making a return appearance to SPAC another season.