PALM COAST, Fla. – By the time Lynn Brannon returned to her seat, the Fitzgerald Performing Arts Center was in full meltdown from the heat generated on stage as Uptown Motown showed a packed house why the group is hot commodity.
Singing the sultry hits of the Motown era with a twist, it was non-stop energy between the performers and the audience as they sang along to hits from Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, and the Jackson 5.
It was the sexy Prince hit “Kiss” that drew Brannon on stage as her husband Dave watched with a smile. Of all the women in the audience they chose his wife, and by the end of the performance, there was definitely a sense of pride in his smile.
“It was a win-win,” said Dave Brannon.
“Front row, you’re ready for that kind of stuff,” he said. “When they said come on, I said ‘oh my God’, I didn’t know how she was going to be about getting up, if she wanted to or not. But she didn’t have a problem, you know?”
“I enjoyed it, I really did,” Lynn said, giggling after the show. “They were really nice guys.”
After discovering the Fitzgerald Performing Arts Center three seasons ago, the Brannons said they’ve been coming to the area from Palatka for several shows each year.
“We go to four or five concerts a year down here,” Lynn said, in between compliments and high fives from patrons about her on stage experience. “We’ll be here in a couple of weeks for Olivia Newton John.”
“You have to be engaged because if you watch Uptown Motown the tempos and where they take their music, and how fast they dance, you can’t sit still,” said Amelia Fulmer, director of the Fitzgerald Performing Arts Center.
“They’re incredible. It’s like watching the jitterbug for an hour and a half,” she said. “Their vocals, everything was just spot on. I had a lot of people, from the cast of Motown and Mo’ here tonight, ladies from Grand Haven. We had all our friends here tonight and we’re looking forward to the Dallas String Quartet.”
With only two more pro shows to go, the Fitzgerald Performing Arts Center is closing out the season with the wattage turned all the way up. This Friday, April 11, brings the Dallas String Quartet Unleashed for a rock concert the likes of which Flagler County has never experienced before.
Billed as a ‘rock fusion experience”, imagine hearing Robert Plant’s voice as a violin while the sounds of Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir burst through the auditorium’s new sound system. Yes, that cool.
“They are a rock ‘n roll quartet. They don’t play classical music – they could but they’re going to be here rockin’ out,” said Fulmer. “They play everything from Foreigner to Bruno Mars.”
The best of all? Fulmer wants students in the music arts programs to imagine what they can be and do with the skills they are learning as part of their music programs.
“Tickets are still available and we’re doing free tickets for families with children that play music. So, if you’ve got a music student in your house, call and we’ll give you free tickets to this concert. But you have to have a kid under 18 and bring them here with you,” she said.
Families with a student in the music arts or Flagler Youth Orchestra can receive up to 4 free tickets by calling the box office at (386) 437-7547.
The season closes with The Olivia Show, on Saturday, April 19, paying homage to the unmatched Olivia Newton John.
Visit www.FlaglerEntertainment.com for details.
