It’s a Night of Motown Music in Benton Harbor!
The music and the magic of Motown returns to The Mendel Center in Benton Harbor featuring the voices and the musicians who started it all and those who’ve kept it center stage for the last 60 years! The “Motown All-Star Spectacular” will take place Thursday, October 14, at 7:30 pm, and stars four acts, all with Motor City roots that go back to the glory days of rock and roll.
The Motortown All-Stars headline the show and are back by popular demand after presenting their national Christmas tour at the Mendel Center in 2016 to rave reviews. The group features an all-star line-up of vocalists and musicians assembled from the ranks of the Capitols and the Miracles and former members of the Temptations. The members have each performed with various Motown legends on stages around the world. Together, on one stage, they sing Motown classics favorites like “My Girl,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “Do You Love Me,” “The Tears of a Clown” and more.
Each of the other artists to take the stage that night could easily fill an evening with hits on their own, so audiences in attendance will enjoy the equivalent of four concerts in one! Topping the list are Rock & Roll Hall of Famers The Original Vandellas whose hits include “Heatwave,” “Dancin’ in the Streets,”, “Jimmy Mack” and “Nowhere to Run.” The group features the two original members who sang on all of their original recordings and also sang backup on Marvin Gaye’s early hits.
The Marvelettes will appear with original member Katherine Anderson Schaffner to sing “Beechwood 4-5789,” “Please Mr. Postman,” “Too Many Fish in the Sea,” “Don’t Mess with Bill” and more.
Rounding out this celebration will be The Shades of Blue whose biggest hit was “Oh How Happy.” The Shades’ leader Stu Avig is Motown royalty himself, having been one of the first artists to sign with Berry Gordy, Jr. when the fledgling company began in 1959. His photo is featured in a shrine at the entrance of the Motown Museum in Detroit, alongside the Temptations, Supremes, and Stevie Wonder.
The concert promises to be jam-packed with all the hallmarks of Motown - impeccable harmonies, dazzling choreography, flashy outfits, and those instantly-recognizable grooves that everyone knows and loves.
"This show will be an unforgettable concert experience for audiences of all ages," says Joseph Mirrione of Praia Entertainment Group, the show’s producer and promoter. "I think the children of the 1960s will relish returning to a time when they knew every word to every song – and we’ve kept the ticket prices reasonable so they can bring their kids and grandkids, too!"
General admission tickets by seating zone for The Motown All-Star Spectacular are on sale at www.TheMendelCenter.com, by phone weekdays through The Mendel Center Box Office at (269) 927-8700, option 1 from 2 to 6 pm, and in person Tuesdays through Thursdays from 2 to 6 pm at the box office located in the Grand Upton Hall lobby of The Mendel Center at Lake Michigan College, 2755 E. Napier Avenue, Benton Harbor, MI. Tickets start at $35. Discounts are available for seniors, students and children, veterans, and groups of 10 or more.
