Let's begin with the negative...Star Plaza, in my opinion, did terrible advertisement on the line-up for this show. I purchased my tickets just on the fact of seeing that Russell Thompkins was going to be there and wanted to pay my respect to this gentleman. There were too many empty seats in the theater.
I asked the couple to my left, who else was going to be there and was told that the Chi-Lites and the Manhattans were also going to be there. Of course, that was a pleasant surprise and was glad that I'd carried an extra battery for my camera.
The Chi-Lites did their thang. Marshall finally added some extra female voices, still refusing to audition me for those bad ass bass parts that are never covered, and also added some new material. Marshall showcased himself for a change while performing two Temptation songs in excellent form.
Gerald Alston, "Blue" Lovett and the Manhattans...is there anything else that needs to be said? They jammed, they danced and Gerald begged and preached! You can't say anything negative about their shows and they never throw in any of those, "I don't remember this song" fillers.
Russell Thompkins and the New Stylistics are not to be confused with The Stylistics, who are getting most of the publicity. I've slow danced, made out and sung with the voice of this brother, but had only seen him once with the original group, but never with his new group. Russell is a very humble gentleman, who took us back on a musical journey to the days when the music messages spoke of love for our women, even if we were having problems. Russell spent a lot of time shaking hands with his fans at the conclusion of the show...none of that weak, limp hand shaking either.
Got a few extra dollars and a good partner? Go to these type of shows!