Palm Coast, FL (December 12, 2021) Bobbing their heads and swaying to the music, patrons of the Flagler Auditorium received an early holiday treat as Grammy Award-winning singer Darlene Love took the stage.
Singing along and jammin’ out, from the balcony, Paul and Joy Vargo were joined by friends for the holiday show Saturday evening, and at least one member of their party was starstruck.
“I used to watch Darlene Love close down David Letterman’s show every year at Christmas and when David retired in 2015 I was coming here in 2016,” said fan Don Scott. “When I saw her close down the Christmas show, it was like it’s time for me to retire too. Seeing her is like magic,” he said. “It’s soul stirring.”
Scott’s been a fan of Darlene Love for decades, and couldn’t wait to invite his friend down from Atlanta, Georgia to hear her sing.
“My friend Don invited me down because he loves all the Flagler activities down here,” said Pat Davis. “He’s watched this lady on The Late Night Show for years and he said you’ve got to come, you’re going to love it, and I’m loving it. She’s powerful, she engages the audience and her band is dynamite.”
For Joy Vargo the songs brought back memories of her youth during her first trip to the Flagler Auditorium.
“Unbelievable. I can’t believe she’s in Palm Coast. It’s a wonderful auditorium here too,” she said, while husband Paul was energized by the band’s synergy.
“I think she’s got the greatest band. I’d like to see the two saxophones play up here together,” he said during the show’s intermission.
A Walk Through Time
Love belted out hit after hit spanning her storied career and demonstrating why she was inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. The multi-talented performer has worked with some of the most notable rock and roll legends in music history including Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Phil Spector, Bruce Springsteen and U2.
Audience members researched the hit maker during intermission, quizzing Amelia Fulmer, director of the Flagler Auditorium, who was surprised to learn Love had played the wife of Danny Glover in the ‘Lethal Weapon’ franchise. Love also sang the theme song for the hit movie ‘Home Alone 2’, and performed alongside Kurt Russell in the Nexflix hit ‘Christmas Chronicles 2’ in 2020.
Love was among several singers featured in the Oscar-winning documentary ‘20 Feet From Stardom’, in 2014.
“The show is just fantastic and Darlene Love’s voice, I really thought she would sing some with the backup singers, but no, she is still the big wall of sound she’s always been,” said Fulmer, a noted vocalist and former music educator.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment all season and was so excited when we were able to book her at the Flagler Auditorium, at Christmas, no less.”
Throughout the show, patrons shared their enthusiastic appreciation for Love’s talents, among them Rocco Chierichella, another super fan, accompanied by his wife, Debbie.
“It was one of the greatest female performers ever. Darlene Love a lot of the people don’t know but she’s THE voice of the past,” said Chierichella with admiration. “She’s been around a long, long time – she’s 80 years old and still kickin’ it. She’s terrific. A lot of the great performers of today support her, they know that music from Phil Spector. It’s just a dynamite show, young people should see this.”
As part of a group from the Flagler Tiger Bay Club, Bonnie Madden was impressed by the show.
“What a great performance last night,” shared Madden, who attended with husband Don Madden. “She has a wonderful and powerful voice.”
“Darlene Love did a great show, had a great ensemble with her, great singers, and you couldn’t help but stand up and sing,” agreed Flagler County Commissioner David Sullivan.
Audience reaction to the show had Flagler Auditorium governing board president Sandra Siepietoski thrilled by the end of the evening.
“I’ve never seen a show here where everybody is dancing on the way out,” she said in amazement. “It was phenomenal. Darlene Love brought a lot of enthusiasm and friendship, what we needed in these past two years she just gave us – some joy, big hugs and everybody just had a fantastic time. It’s hard to explain how nice it was if you weren’t here.”
The next holiday show at the Flagler Auditorium will be The American Sirens on Friday, December 17th at 7 PM.
