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Fresh off of her nearly month-long UK Tour, R&B Legend Gladys Knight resumed her USA tour with its first stop, befittingly, in the City of Brotherly Love.  Delivering an inconceivable measure of power and love through every rich, melodious note, the reigning Empress of Soul repetitively stirred and aroused the musical senses of the mesmerized sold-out Dell Music Center crowd. The cheers and applauses at the mere sight of her walking onto the stage were truly a form of adoration and homage from the heart of  Philadelphia.

Looking totally radiant and sounding as if her vocal cords are emitting sounds directly from Heaven, the 78 year-old Ms. Knight embraced the audience with sweet charisma, warm conversation, and the unparalleled satisfaction of delivering hit after hit as only she can.  Let’s face it, Gladys loves what she does and it truly shows

Knight shows no signs of slowing down. Watching her perform, it’s hard to behold her God given beauty along with her youthful style and actually fathom that she has graced the music industry with her gift of song for three quarters of a century! Longevity looks stunning on The Empress!

Stepping out on the stage in Philly sparkling in what appears to be a custom-made all black sheer sequined one-armed draped cape with a shimmering black sequin t-strap tunic and black sequin and lace fitted pants, her sense of style has always been one of an extremely classy and unique fashionista.  At every public appearance she is always very well put together – hair, makeup, wardrobe and accessories.

As the crowd indulged in the musical feast for the evening, Knight’s set list served as it’s opening appetizer “Forever More” as she walked onto the stage then segued into “Come Go With Me” (a Staples Singer’s tune), then glided to “Make Yours A Happy Home” (written by Curtis Mayfield and from the Claudine movie soundtrack), followed by Nitty Gritty, Michael Jackson’s “Shake Your Body Down to the Ground,” “With Every Beat of My Heart,” “Love Overboard,” “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me,” and so much more.  With the help of her exceptionally talented band and singers including Musical Director Leon Turner, bassist Joey Green and Keyboardist Yuko Tamura, Knight packed in over 20 songs for the evening.

Keeping in touch with her Christian foundation, she included an incredible worship medley that prompted an undeniable spiritual awareness, ushering in a sense of sweetness and pure gratitude. Unapologetic about her faith, Gladys makes it very clear that she tries to intertwine God in all that she does for it is He who has kept her thus far.

Gladys saved one of her signature songs, “Midnight Train to Georgia” for the Grand Finale to close out the show, allowing the audience to sing along and serve as her Pips.

Philly has embraced Ms. Knight, indeed, as her music is heard blasting on local radio dials, playing to an eclectic audience. Eager Philadelphia residents reveled at winning concert tickets from Radio One station CLASSIX 107.9 – experiencing the chance of a lifetime to see Gladys perform.

Knight expressed her love for the City of Philadelphia and gratitude for everyone coming out to see her perform. Another fan of Philadelphia is Knight’s friend and musician of 17 years, Yuko, who gave the Dell Music Center venue a thumbs up.  She also made time to get out in the city and indulge in a local quaint Jamaican take-out restaurant that satisfied her taste buds.   With an array of options for your shopping, musical and food palettes, how can anyone not love Philly?

Knight’s show opened the Summer Concert Series at Dell for the 2022 season and the camaraderie displayed among attendees was that of old friends reuniting as patrons and some returning season ticket-holders gathered under the stars.  What a remarkable kickoff!  What a “Knight” to remember!!

by T LaNice

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