Supremes Start 2013 LIVE: Mary In FLorida Trailer Park, Diana In Texas Theatre

[TheMotownManiac]

Our original Supremes are beginning the new year on the road - just not together, unfortunately.

Mary "Keeper Of The Flame" Wilson starts first in exciting Fort Myers' "Siesta Bay RV & Trailer Resort" on the serene west coast of Florida. Mary will be working steadily throughout the year with several more "Lena Horne" dates to be announced immenantly and is continuing to add dates as opportunities arise.

Diana "The Supreme Supreme" Ross kicks off one of her little spurts [[13 days, 8 shows) in a sold-out, historic theatre in San Antonio. Miss Ross is said to be working 2 weeks per quarter with an somewhat extended summer schedule in the usual European and Japanese arenas.

Promoters have been advised that the number of shows is finite and none will be added, regardless of sell-through rate, after the tour is set. This is in response to rumored unhappy promoters on both sides of the Atlantic rebuffed at the request for second performances that sold out particularly fast. This new rule is in stark contrast to her previous 37 years of accepting additional performances on added dates or, in many cases, matinees. 2007 saw The Queen Of Motown returning to Ireland's The Point arena after an unexpected* flash sell-out.

[smark21]

Hours into the New Year and same old Diana vs. Mary fan shit. I’m sure you’ll be on ticketmaster monitoring the sales very closely, section by section, seat by seat.

[dba]

Agree with Smark21. Can we make it a 2013 resolution to talk about the music and other related news to Motown?
When I saw the post I was hoping it wasn't what it sounded like it was but alas it was, please grow up and get a life.

Happy New Year to all the posters on this site who really do love the music.

[blueskies]

Oh Jesus....the New Year just started and here we go....again. I think ALL Supremes threads should banned. Obviously, they're TOXIC here!

[Jimi LaLumia]

Oh, dear...welcome to Truth Hurts, 2013!

[ejluther]

I thought it was a joke but Mary really IS appearing at the Siesta Bay RV & Trailer Resort:
http://www.suncommunities.com/Portals/147/siesta_sun_113012.pdf

[Jimi LaLumia]

a girl's got to pay the bills...

[smark21]

I thought it was a joke but Mary really IS appearing at the Siesta Bay RV & Trailer Resort:
http://www.suncommunities.com/Portals/147/siesta_sun_113012.pdf

Well the audience that used to see acts like Mary and the Shirelles at state fairs and balloon festivals are now entering retirement in droves. 25 years ago they took their kids to the fair. Now they’re empty nesters. Some of them have sold their homes and are driving around the country in RVs and stay at RV parks for extended stays. So it makes sense that acts like Mary and Shirley market their shows to RV parks that have some sort of venue set aside for shows because the family end of the oldies market is now catering to today’s parents who grew up on 80s, 90s, and 00s acts.

[jobeterob]

It would probably be a great venue for a fan to see her in.

As she said in the recent Tavis Smiley interview.............she loves to perform.

[motony]

Siesta Bay in Ft. Myers is hardly a "trailer park".....very high end those are multi-million $ R.V.'s & I'm sure their club house where the shows are is VERY nice.

[marv2]

Mary has performed in theaters around the World this past year. What is the big deal about this one engagement?

[juicefree20]

I think that to be fair, there are a whole lot of our Soul icons who would love to be getting gigs ANYWHERE these days.

WHether it's a trailer park or a free outdoor concert, many of those "lowly" gigs pay some pretty good money. At a time when even Soul megastars are struggling to fill half of a 3,000 seat venue or having shows cancelled outright, a lot of our stars wouldn't turn up their nose at ANY decently paying gig.

As I recall it, a few of our Disco Divas were hired to sing at parties in people's apartments & were paid rather nicely to do so & were treated a damn sight better than many big-time promoters tend to treat older stars who don't have the clout of the truly powerful.

To put this further into perspective, it's a lot easier to put food on your table when you get a lot of smaller gigs as compared to others who keep waiting for those huge gigs to come through. I know artists who believe these small gigs to be beneath them & they're still waiting for the phone to ring. Meanwhile, the folks who take these "non-prestigious" gigs are working steadily & laughing all the way to the bank.

The days of Hollywood Palace, The Ed Sullivan Show are gone & for even for many of the biggest superstars of the 60s & 70s, those humongous gigs are rapidly drying up, as are the promoters promoting these shows.

Nowadays, they're going where the money is, ala Sir Beiber, Lady GaGa & the like & perhaps a fortunate few like a Charlie Wilson.

In today's economic & entertainment climate, past glories mean little. Putting food on the table takes precedent & if Mary can get paid for singing in the shower, there's no shame in that. Pride isn't paying the bills but the receipts from those trialer park shows will.

Just another way of looking at things from a guy who has several superstar friends whom have been struggling to get shows for the last 3 years or so.

[Roberta75]

I think that to be fair, there are a whole lot of our Soul icons who would love to be getting gigs ANYWHERE these days.

WHether it's a trailer park or a free outdoor concert, many of those "lowly" gigs pay some pretty good money. At a time when even Soul megastars are struggling to fill half of a 3,000 seat venue or having shows cancelled outright, a lot of our stars wouldn't turn up their nose at ANY decently paying gig.

As I recall it, a few of our Disco Divas were hired to sing at parties in people's apartments & were paid rather nicely to do so & were treated a damn sight better than many big-time promoters tend to treat older stars who don't have the clout of the truly powerful.

To put this further into perspective, it's a lot easier to put food on your table when you get a lot of smaller gigs as compared to others who keep waiting for those huge gigs to come through. I know artists who believe these small gigs to be beneath them & they're still waiting for the phone to ring. Meanwhile, the folks who take these "non-prestigious" gigs are working steadily & laughing all the way to the bank.

The days of Hollywood Palace, The Ed Sullivan Show are gone & for even for many of the biggest superstars of the 60s & 70s, those humongous gigs are rapidly drying up, as are the promoters promoting these shows.

Nowadays, they're going where the money is, ala Sir Beiber, Lady GaGa & the like & perhaps a fortunate few like a Charlie Wilson.

In today's economic & entertainment climate, past glories mean little. Putting food on the table takes precedent & if Mary can get paid for singing in the shower, there's no shame in that. Pride isn't paying the bills but the receipts from those trialer park shows will.

Just another way of looking at things from a guy who has several superstar friends whom have been struggling to get shows for the last 3 years or so.

Well said dear Juice. All legal work is honest work and there is nothing wrong with taking a paying gig.

Yours, with every good wish.

Roberta

[Shaqueetha_Jackson]

Mary sholda took that rtl money

[juicefree20]

Roberta,

Thank you & may God bless you & yours in 2013 & in the years to come!

[Roberta75]

Roberta,

Thank you & may God bless you & yours in 2013 & in the years to come!

Oh thank you my dear man and may the good Lord continue to bless and watch over you and yours.

My warmest regards.

Roberta

[Shaqueetha_Jackson]

Mary sholda took that rtl money

[revvy]

Isn't it great that both ladies can work well into their 60s? Good for them!

[R. Mark Desjardins]

By strange coincidence, in this morning's Canada Post national newspaper, an article outlinded the frustration Canadian singer Jane Sibeery encounterd during a performance in a club in Montreal, some years back. The stage was so filthy she had to ask for a vaccum and a cloth. There was no dressing room and a 10- watt bulb in the public bathroom to put on makeup. After dealing with the unruly audience who brought in take out food, she gave back her performance fee.
She has stopped playing mid range venues and discovered that "salon evenings", where she performs in people's home with up to 20 to 30 fans sharing her fee more to her liking. She now plays such evenings all over the world.

Perhaps not as bad as the days of the "chitlin' circuit," one must admire a performer, Mary Wilson included, who will perform whenever and wherever her fan base may be in order to pay bills and put food on the table.

[milven]

....one must admire a performer, Mary Wilson included, who will perform whenever and wherever her fan base may be in order to pay bills and put food on the table.
Just as long as she doesn't get to the point where she is sharing billing with Shantel in a parking lot.:):);)

I'm just glad to see all the Ladies of the Supremes that want to work, or have to work, still have an audience that wants to see them. They all have talent and a work ethic. They all have a lot of energy.

[TheMotownManiac]

Mary has performed in parking lots, carnival midways, hotel hallways and lounges, clubs, theaters and arenas. She is working and there is demand. How many background singers emerge into what she has created? She is to be applauded. Ditto Otis, Diana, Dennis, Scherrie, Lynda and all the others who continue to honor the legacy of Motown's supergroups: Diana Ross & The Supremes and The Temptations. Long may they continue to spread the word. Mary performs the songs, The Flos continue to bring The Supremes' act throughout the world while Diana brings the original sound further honoring the legacy more than anyone can. Happily Otis & Dennis are doing similar work for The Temptations, although Otis is a background singer and Dennis shines on all songs, but doesn't do what David did. You just can't replace the iconic sounds of the original lead singers on those million-selling hits that the public knows and loves.



Just as long as she doesn't get to the point where she is sharing billing with Shantel in a parking lot.:):);)

I'm just glad to see all the Ladies of the Supremes that want to work, or have to work, still have an audience that wants to see them. They all have talent and a work ethic. They all have a lot of energy.

[luke]

Diana and Mary are appearing together doing duet versions of all the hits at our local Target store and then they are heading to a sold out show at MSG.. Surprised this hasnt gotten more pulbicity. There, have we covered all the bases? Happy New Year!

[jobeterob]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=T8xytVDw1wo&NR=1

It's no wonder people still go to the shows!

[thanxal]

I've seen Mary in concert several times and have always wanted to see Diana in her own right, but I've changed my mind about a "Supremes" reunion. I've seen RTL a couple times on video, but the pointlessness of a reunion really struck me this time.

If Mary and Cindy are to be as muted as Lynda and Scherrie are in this clip, and the background choir is more audible, then no thanks. What's the point? Why go if a "Supremes" reunion if it is as fake as the DRATS were the first time around?

I'd much rather see Jean, Mary and Cindy in a "Supremes" reunion and Diana as a solo act. A DMC reunion doesn't really make any sense to me anymore. If I want to hear Diana sing Supremes hits with a choir and no Supremes I'll go to her show. Even the lighting on Sherrie and Lynda is awful.

No Thank You.

[drlorne]

I saw them live in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre. They were great and it was a sold out house and the place was rocking, singing and dancing. It's the songs and the nostalgia and Diana's voice.

[marv2]

I saw them live in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre. They were great and it was a sold out house and the place was rocking, singing and dancing. It's the songs and the nostalgia and Diana's voice.

But that wasn't enough..........they cancelled it!

[captainjames]

Once again I am glad my girls are still working whether it with farm animals or with billionaires across the ocean. Its hard to get a gig in the church now let alone these places.