"Zestful" Mary In Legends Live

supremester · 10-06-2015, 04:56 PM

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/dionne-warwick-roberta-flack-wembley-arena-review/

This will make nut case happy: naughty and nice!

**carole cucumber** · 10-06-2015, 05:41 PM

Is anyone else having trouble with the link posted?

**markdtiller** · 10-06-2015, 05:43 PM

Originally Posted by supremester

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/dionne-warwick-roberta-flack-wembley-arena-review/

I saw Mary at Wembley on Saturday night. She was not out of breath or flat to my ears. She was a great opening to the show, energetic and sexy for her 25 minute set. Mainly Supremes songs, with a showstopping rendition of "I Am Changing" from "Dreamgirls", with a rollicking rocky medley encore of "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" and "Brown Sugar". Everyone in the stalls was on their feet at the end. I just wish it had been longer!

**sansradio** · 10-06-2015, 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by carole cucumber

Is anyone else having trouble with the link posted?

Me, too, Carole.

**jobeterob** · 10-06-2015, 05:47 PM

WHAT TO LISTEN TO
Dionne Warwick and Roberta Flack, Legends Live, Wembley Arena, review: 'Warwick is the wise matriarch of pop'

Dionne Warwick, pictured at a concert in 2012
DIONNE WARWICK, PICTURED AT A CONCERT IN 2012 CREDIT: JON BLACKER
Jonathan McAloon
4 OCTOBER 2015 • 10:37AM
“I’m going to give you a few songs to end the evening”, said Dionne Warwick in a gentle, kindly voice to the Wembley SSE arena audience. Even while crowning a flashy bill dubbed “Legends Live", she cleaved to an old-world idea of understated class.

The 74-year-old, 100 million-selling vocalist has sung some of the most beautiful pop music of all time, and she did so during an era where voices didn’t need to be huge to be big. Opening with 1964’s Walk on By she showed that her voice could still convey a spectrum of feelings with a soft, clear style, even if she had to alter the melody to suit her deeper voice. Yet on further classics from her collaboration with Burt Bacharach and Hal David, such as Anyone Who Had A Heart and I’ll Never Fall in Love Again, she seemed in command of much of her old range.

Known for a conversational vocal style, Warwick would often half-sing, half-talk between songs. Floating gracefully around the stage in a white woolen robe she was very much the wise matriarch of pop; the audience enjoyed it to the point of sabotaging an impossibly delicate rendition of Alfie with their raucous enthusiasm.

But it is a travesty that a star with 69 top 100 singles should only be afforded a 40 minute set. Overall, the concert had a surprising cruiseship feel: Mary Wilson of The Supremes was full of zest but frequently out of breath and flat on songs that she never sang solo in the first place. The Drifters – now essentially a tribute act to their own former glory, having been through 60 members since forming in the Fifties – played covers of Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline and U2’s 2004 hit Vertigo. Even Roberta Flack’s unapologetically sophisticated set was subject to an on-stage marriage proposal.

This tackiness couldn’t help but infect Warwick’s slot. Having a keyboard stand in for the original strings and brass brought the old Bacharach arrangements too close to muzak, especially during Warwick’s attempt to bring Say a Little Prayer “into the 21st Century”.

As her set approached its climax Warwick’s voice was fully warmed up and she hit big, loud arcs during What the World Needs Now and her 1985 version of That’s What Friends Are For. But for all that, Warwick still doesn’t need to shout to be heard.

**sansradio** · 10-06-2015, 07:54 PM

Thanks for the paste, Jobeterob. Sounds like the reviewer's a little biased; Mary and Roberta are given such short shrift. And The Drifters? 60 members since the beginning? Good gracious alive.

supremester · 10-06-2015, 08:09 PM

I have buds who were there at Wembly and said Mary had some note issues but was the highlight of the evening and her set really ended too soon. They also said she had the place rocking so hard that they felt sorry for whoever was going to follow her.

This is great exposure for La Mare and might net her some solo gigs in the future.

Originally Posted by markdtiller

I saw Mary at Wembley on Saturday night. She was not out of breath or flat to my ears. She was a great opening to the show, energetic and sexy for her 25 minute set. Mainly Supremes songs, with a showstopping rendition of "I Am Changing" from "Dreamgirls", with a rollicking rocky medley encore of "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" and "Brown Sugar". Everyone in the stalls was on their feet at the end. I just wish it had been longer!

**midnightman** · 10-06-2015, 09:05 PM

Articles keep showing disrespect to Mama Supreme...

Dionne hasn't sound like herself in years but Mary can still put on one hell of a show...

**milven** · 10-06-2015, 11:33 PM

Originally Posted by sansradio

Thanks for the paste, Jobeterob. Sounds like the reviewer's a little biased; Mary and Roberta are given such short shrift. And The Drifters? 60 members since the beginning? Good gracious alive.

It is really true about the Drifters. They have had sixty members. One time the whole group was fired and replaced with new members. They are aptly named. The members drift in and then out.

**detmotownguy** · 10-07-2015, 01:42 AM

Originally Posted by markdtiller

I saw Mary at Wembley on Saturday night. She was not out of breath or flat to my ears. She was a great opening to the show, energetic and sexy for her 25 minute set. Mainly Supremes songs, with a showstopping rendition of "I Am Changing" from "Dreamgirls", with a rollicking rocky medley encore of "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" and "Brown Sugar". Everyone in the stalls was on their feet at the end. I just wish it had been longer!

Thanks Mark! Wish I was there. How was Roberta Flack? Thanks!