Gladys Knight
13th February 2020
The Civic, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Chris Zwaagdyk.
The Empress of Soul made her triumphant return to New Zealand last night after a twenty-year absence, the seven-time Grammy Award winner unequivocally proving that some things do indeed get better with age.
Gladys Knight may now be seventy-five, her career which impressively spans over fifty years seeing the vocalist turn her hand to film, television, writing and business, all rather successfully, but it is in the arena of music and song that she continues to reign supreme. This fact immediately made evident to the sold-out Auckland audience as she opened the show, accompanied by her nine-piece band, with the classic Gladys Knight & the Pips track ‘Love Overboard’.
Ever the consummate performer, Knight was the epitome of grace, dressed in black and shimmering gold, her smile still able to dazzle those in the very back row. Her contralto vocals, just husky enough to give them the right amount of character filled the room with ease, early tracks such as ‘The Nitty Gritty’, ‘Every Beat of My Heart’ and (You’re The) Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me’ enthralling her devotees her hung on her every word. A self-declared people person, Knight emphatically declared her genuine love for every single person present, stating that without them she would not be where she is today. While not the first performer to declare such feelings for their fans, there is a sincerity to her words that makes one truly feel appreciated; Knight one of the few performers to appear in Auckland who has received a standing ovation before even uttering a single word.
While making a name for herself in the heart of Motown, Knight has always had a command of music, certain contemporary numbers over the years catching the attention of her heart, lyrical content a defining factor for Knight for she has to believe in the words herself before she can make others believe to; her own rendition of Sam Smith’s ‘Stay With Me’ bringing with it a wealth of emotion, the audience gently swaying in time to her sumptuous vocals. Her inclusion of a bridge from the Luther Vandross number ‘Never Too Much’ during ‘Save the Overtime (For Me)’ that soon followed bringing smiles of delight and hands raised to the ceiling in praise, the prowess of musical director Leon Taylor on keys shining through.
Pausing between numbers, Knight spoke of the need for love in this world, for kindness to be our first thought towards our fellow man and of shining a light on the dark things in life. With seventeen grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren, Knight certainly has a lot of love to give, her genuine desire to see the world become a better place, commendable. Imparting a few amusing anecdotes of her own about her upbringing in Georgia, where family, community and church were all places of teaching for children in how to be respectful of others, Knight became quite animated, audience members sporadic cries of “Amen” and “Hallelujah” visibly bringing joy to the legendary songstress and creating an air of old school gospel into which her next tracks ‘Part Time Love’ and ‘I’ve Got to Use My Imagination’ fed so fluidly.
Shifting tangent, Knight’s stupendous nine-piece band began to play that familiar melody, underpinning her next tale of her days in Motown and a certain Marvin Gaye; ‘I Heard it Through the Grapevine’ undoubtedly one of the highlights of the evening, the harmonisation of her trio of back-up singers Porcia, Alexis and Javonte adding bursts of flavour, while James on lead guitar provided the funk. ‘Licence to Kill’ the theme to the 1989 James Bond film of the same name soon proving that Knight can also turn her hand to the dramatic big band numbers; keyboardist Yuko Tamura who has been with Knight for the last fifteen years providing the accompanying horn section with aplomb.
And the hits just kept coming, ‘Midnight Train to Georgia’ seeing many attendees leap to their feet, Knight encouraging them to be part of the moment by dancing or singing along, before she once again delved into the Top 40 catalogue performing a stunning mash-up of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Perfect’ with Ronnie Milsaps’ ‘Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night)’, the refrain from the original Fred Parris and The Satins track reminding one and all that the true classics will always have a place in any decade, their timelessness one of their greatest attributes.
A breathtaking duet between Knight and Porcia to ‘Why I Love You’ by MAJOR paved the way for a dedication to the late James Ingram, Knight requesting Javonte to perform ‘One Hundred Ways’ for her, before she once again took the stage – this time with Alexis – for ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’, Alexis promptly bringing the house down with her heaven sent vocals. Alluding to the impending finale ‘Neither One of Us (Wants to be the First to Say Goodbye)’ soon led into a final salutation of love, Knight reminding everyone to take care of each other for without them she would be nothing; ‘Baby Don’t Change Your Mind’ closing the evening on an up tempo number as the curtain came down, Gladys Knight preferring to go out on a song rather than a drawn out goodbye.
The Empress of Soul taking her leave, title well and truly intact.
Were you there at The Civic for this magnificent Rhythm and Blues icon? Or have you seen Gladys Knight perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Love Overboard
- The Nitty Gritty
- Every beat OF My Heart
- (You’re The) Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me
- Stay With Me [Sam Smith cover]
- Save The Overtime (For Me)/Never Too Much
- Part Time Love
- I’ve Got To Use My Imagination
- I Heard It Through The Grapevine
- Licence To Kill
- Midnight Train To Georgia
- If I Could
- Perfect [Ed Sheeran cover]
- Lost In The Fifties Tonight (In The Still Of The Night) [Ronnie Milsap cover]
- Why I Love You [MAJOR cover]
- One Hundred Way [James Ingram cover] (sung by Javonte)
- (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
- The Way We Were
- Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)
- Baby Don’t Change Your Mind
If you enjoyed this content, please consider donating towards the running of Ambient Light, covering expenses and allowing us to expand the coverage you love by visiting our PressPatron page.
Would have enjoyed Gladys Knight concert so much more, but due to the Civic Centre having no air conditioning, it was so hot and stuffy, we were right up top, could not actually see Gladys clearly on stage, and fell asleep during her preformance.