The Minnesota State Fair grandstand turned into a Las Vegas lounge Monday night.
Nothing wrong with that if you were up for revisiting the '50s, '60s and '70s with a trio of oldies but goodies. The evening of the Spinners, Little Anthony & the Imperials and the Grass Roots was highly entertaining in a show bizzy kind of way even if the lineup felt a little incongruous.
Having a pop-rock band open for two R&B/pop vocal groups was a bit like having egg rolls as an appetizer before a second course of spaghetti carbonara and an entree of veal scaloppine.
The latest incarnation of the Grass Roots — lead singer Rob Grill died in 2011 and no other original members are involved — was solid harmonizing on '60s classics like "Midnight Confessions."
However, Little Anthony & the Imperials, in matching velvet-and-sequin jackets, were a revelation, late 1950s-60s hitmakers who still know how to deliver with Vegasy panache.
At 80, Jerome Anthony Gourdine still has that supple, high-pitched, reedy, almost girlish voice. Unlike Frankie Valli, Gourdine doesn't rely on lip-syncing in concert. His voice is still the real deal, and he convinced on 1958's "Tears on My Pillow," an animated "Heard It Through the Grapevine" and a rocking tribute to another "Little" — Little Richard — with "Lucille."
In his first gig in 17 months, Gourdine, who received a knee replacement three months ago, seemed to tire a bit in the second half of the 65-minute performance but hammed it up for a closing treatment of the Police's "Every Breath You Take."
Another original member, Ernest Wright, was on board, adding humorous quips while Johnny Britt did a sweet, jazzy reading of "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" complete with his own muted trumpet intro.
If Little Anthony leaned on shtick, the mighty Spinners, in matching white pin-striped suits with '70s-style shoulder pads, conveyed their magic with practiced harmonies, smooth choreography and enthusiastic showmanship for 70 minutes.
The long-standing Detroit quintet, which still includes 83-year-old co-founder Henry Fambrough, featured two capable lead vocalists, with Ronnie Moss soaring on high tenor (his version of Smokey Robinson's "Ooo Baby Baby" had women swooning) and C.J. Spencer triumphing on ballads ("Sadie" paid respect to Mom) and up-tempo jams ("Mighty Love" found him carrying on in the audience).
A Sam Cooke medley of "Cupid" and "Havin' a Party" turned the lounge into a disco. And then came a knockout closing medley of 1970s Spinners hits: "Then Came You," "One of a Kind (Love Affair)," "Games People Play" and "Rubberband Man," complete with the singers dancing with giant rubber bands.
The crowd of 2,436 fans was satiated. No need for dessert. Well, maybe some mini-doughnuts. There's always room for mini-doughnuts.
Twitter: @JonBream • 612-673-1719
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August 31, 2021 at 08:55PM
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Spinners, Little Anthony deliver a tasty oldies show at Minnesota State Fair - Minneapolis Star Tribune
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