She did not sing the hit collaborations she had as a solo artist – ‘That’s What Friends Are For’ (Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Knight – billed as “ Gladys & Friends“), which Warwick closed her concert with, and ‘Missing You’ ( Brandy, Tamia, Knight and Chaka Khan). Surprisingly, this song was not a US hit, much like Ross’ mega UK hit ‘Chain Reaction.’ This beautiful ballad was wisely placed in between the two brilliant bops ‘Come Back and Finish What You Started’ and ‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine’ – a dramatic tonal shift followed by a return to bop-tastic excellence! She also sang her only solo hit – ‘License to Kill’, the theme from the James Bond film of the same name. Knight began her set with the little-known Gladys Knight & the Pips song ‘Make Yours a Happy Home’, before blitzing through some of her many hits with the Pips: ‘The Nitty Gritty’, ‘Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me’, ‘Baby, Don’t Change Your Mind’, ‘Part Time Love’, ‘Come Back and Finish What You Started’, ‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine’ (the biggest Motown hit until Marvin Gaye‘s version took that spot), ‘Neither One of Us (Wants to be the First to Say Goodbye’, ‘The Way We Were’, ‘Love Overboard’ – and, of course, ‘Midnight Train to Georgia’, which she saved until last (save the best for last, right?). Warwick makes relaxed music that you appreciate aurally, so that was not surprising, but Knight’s music is a mix – much of it is sit-down music, whilst some of it is groovy, yet most of the audience stayed sat for the full duration of the show. Like Warwick’s concert, everybody stayed sat for Knight’s. He has a lovely voice, though crooning is difficult – you’re always going to be compared to the greats (and Michael Bublé, of course). Knight’s opening act was Mark Kingswood, a friendly crooner who took the audience back in time. She has aged like fine wine, and her voice, too, has gotten better with age – becoming richer over time. The woman is as fit as a fiddle! It is hard to believe that she is 78 – she looks, and sounds, so much younger. Knight, meanwhile, was last in the UK a mere few years ago, and whilst I presumed this tour would be her farewell – like Ross, she’s 78 – I have changed my mind since seeing her. Ross has not said as such, but it is her first UK tour in 15 years, and she’s going hard – she closed the Jubilee celebrations, and she’s got the Legend’s slot at Glastonbury – she’s going out with a bang, isn’t she? Warwick is being very candid about her tour being her last – it’s billed as S he’s Back: One Last Time. I have been anticipating June 2022 for a long time – in the space of a fortnight, I got to see Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross, and Gladys Knight – three African-American female icons!
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