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| The KST Stage Credit: Beth Barbis |
God I needed that! Those were my words to a fellow concert goer on exiting the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty Saturday evening.
There were two reasons why I wanted to attend this Marvin
Gaye Tribute concert. I wanted to see, for the first time, the theater named
for Pittsburgh greats, Gene Kelly and Billy Strayhorn that I had driven by
several times over the years but never entered. Reason number two – well, the
music of Marvin Gaye! Need I say more?
Located at 5941 Penn Avenue, the 347-seat proscenium
theater is housed in the 1914 historic, former Regent Theater. The lobby is a
sight to behold with its original 1914 plasterwork, 15-foot ceiling, and
terrazzo floors. that includes a local artist gallery and a cozy bar.
Arriving just 15 minutes before curtain, I was surprised to
see center positioned seats available in the third row from the stage. Quickly
throwing my coat over two of them, I went back out to the lobby and stood in
the queue at the bar for a house cocktail.
The concert featured Marvin’s legendary catalog reimagined
by Pittsburgh’s finest vocalists and musicians, led by newly appointed music
director, Jerome O. Kirkland, Jr.
Since 2020, the KSAT has staged an annual tribute concert
that spotlit the classic songs of musical legends such as Tina Turner, Aretha
Franklin, Whitney Houson and Prince. Last year, KST invited fans to vote for
the musical legend they’d like to see celebrated on stage. Marvin Gayle proved
the overwhelming choice.
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| Credit: Beth Barbis |
According to a KST press release, “Marvin Gaye used his
music as a vehicle for social commentary, addressing topics like civil rights,
police brutality, environmental justice, anti-war and Black power. Revisiting
Marvin Gaye’s catalog today, KST is honored to celebrate not only his musical
brilliance but also the ways Black artists have shaped cultural and social
change through sound.”
A couple of times during the concert, the performers remarked that
Gaye’s music and lyrics are just as appropriate today as they were in the 1960s
and 70s.
This concert featured four outstanding vocalists - Lyndsey
Smith, Twan Moore, Cam Chambers, and Kenny Stockard. Things got rolling when Lyndsey
paired up with the three male singers in “Ain’t Nothin Like the Real Thing” (Kenny),
“Your Precious Love” (Cam) and “You’re All I Need To Get By” (Twan).
Solid support for the vocalists came from Dennis Garner,
Jr. on drums, Chuck Anderson on bass, Gary Howard on guitar, and music
director, Jerome O. Kirkland, Jr. on keyboard, a foursome whose sound played
larger than its size might suggest.
Smooth-voiced Twan Moore dominated the second round of Gaye’s
hits with “Sexual Healing” and “Let’s Get It On,” and Kenny Stockard’s rendition
of “Mercy, Mercy Me” was a highlight of Section 3. The concert’s most
energizing and electrifying song, in which each of the vocalists took a solo nod,
was “What’s Going On.”
The Audience Reacts Credit: Beth Barbis
` Judging by the applause and cheers from the audience, many of
whom danced in their seats or at least swayed and bobbed to the music, the
collective jubilation only increased as the concert progressed.
Cam Chamber sparkled in “Got to Give It Up<” but things
went even higher in the concert’s finale “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” which
got most of the crowd up on their feet and grooving. When the applause didn’t
let up, the performers encored with “If I Could Build My Whole World Around You.”
The
entire Walk Down Motown Memory Lane experience opened up a space in my soul
that had been dormant for quite some time. Looks like I needed that!
ABOUT
KELLY STRAYHORN THEATER
>>
Named after 20th century entertainment legends Gene Kelly and Billy Strayhorn,
both natives of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST) is a
home for creative experimentation, community dialogue, and collective action
rooted in the liberation of Black and queer people. We welcome our home to all
who uplift Black, Indigenous, people of color, and queer voices.
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