Hits of Motown

Overview

It's late. You're tired. You have no food in the house. Supermarket. As you round the corner into the frozen foods aisle, Marvin Gaye starts telling you exactly how he heard it: through the grape vine. Your brain flickers as it registers the familiar, but you're on the hunt for frozen peas and sleep. No brain space for a catchy 1960s confession.

For many of us, Motown is merely the soundtrack of our day-to-day grind — the universally popular toe-tappers that we associate with crowded, unpleasant malls. But it wasn't always like this. From the mid-1960s till well into the 80s, Motown was cranking out hit after generation-defining hit. On Saturday, September 1, musical director David Longo is out to jolt your memory (and possibly your groove thing) with a night of Motown's chart-toppers live at City Recital Hall. And with the likes of vocalists Flip Simmons, Andrew Bukenya, Glenn Cunningham, Virna Sanzone, Carmen Smith and Natasha Stuart at the helm, this is less a dusting off of the classics than a snazzy application of jumper cables.

So find some tie-dye and shake a fist at Nixon, then peace-and-love your way down to City Recital Hall for this one-night-only performance of grooves and answers to age-old questions, like who's Lionel Richie saying hello to? Did anyone actually stop in the name of love? And are ABC and 123 really as easy as each other?

Hits of Motown is produced and presented by City Recital Hall. You may not be able to hurry, love, but you can still book quick-smart here.