Motown magic on the banks of the Mersey

Then and Now. YouTube: The original line up of The Temptations perfom My Girl; Right, at the Echo Arena

Everyone’s got a favorite motown track, even if you’re not aware of it. The opening base line of ‘My Girl’ will come on the radio on a Sunday afternoon and you’ll be singing along with a hairbrush by the second verse. And why shouldn’t that happen? It’s one of motown’s ultimate feel good songs, guaranteed to give you sunshine on the cloudiest day.

The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Drifters and The Three Degrees brought motown and the sound of Philadelphia to the banks of the Mersey. As they induced nostalgic memories of dates at the movies on a Saturday night to a near capacity Echo Arena, adolescent memories were running wild.

Right from opening act The Three Degrees, men and women alike, from early 20s to late 70s were popping their heads up to see when it would be socially acceptable to get up from their seats and dance like it was the early 60s and they were in Detroit hearing motown for the first time.

By the end of the night, the whole arena was dancing like they’re at home
alone - there was no room for anyone too cool to dance in the aisles.
The Four Tops proclaimed Liverpool was the best city so far, and
whilst the sentiment is appreciated, a small part of you can’t help but
think it could have been true.

On stage, the natural entertainers glided through classics like ‘My Girl’,
‘Kissing in the Back-row of the Movies’ and ‘Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch’
like a perfectly oiled motown machine. The Three Degrees opened the
night warming the already excited crowd, whilst The Drifters carried
things on, even introducing a new track.

The Temptations followed, pausing mid set to announce their “national
anthem,” ‘My Girl’ to an eagerly awaiting crowd - it’s a big part of why they
came. The Four Tops closed the memorable night, led by the only
surviving Top, Duke, who still moves like his younger band mates.

There’s not one movement on stage that hasn’t been planned, timed and rehearsed for maximum impact on a crowd that all moved like they were 16 again, men and women alike. One woman, three rows from the front, was intent on matching every dance move that was laid down on stage - falling short of taking a bow at the end of each song. One boy was dragged along by his parents for a bit of cultural enlightening - Nintendo DS 1 - motown legends 0.

While a large percentage of the acts are not the original line up, it subtracts nothing from the night. It’s a pleasure to watch these natural entertainers slide through each swooning hit, executing each choreographed slide, turn and click with crowd pleasing perfection. JL... who?

The Four Tops spend some time with fans as the show comes to an end