ITEM PHOTO BY KATIE MORRISON
Darlene Love, shown with backing vocalists Milton Vann, Baritone Williams and Ula Hedwig, performs at Lynn Auditorium Saturday night.
By BILL BROTHERTON
LYNN – There was a whole lotta love from the audience Saturday night inside Lynn Auditorium. But there wasn’t nearly enough Love from the stage.
Oh, sure, Darlene Love, perhaps the greatest rock ‘n’ roll singer of all time, was sensational. At age 75, her miracle of a voice remains as strong and forceful as it was more than 50 years ago on those timeless Phil Spector Wall of Sound singles for the Crystals, the Ronettes and the Blossoms.
But the show was frustratingly short. The 7-song first set began at 7:15 and sped by faster than a ‘64 Pontiac GTO. After a 15-minute intermission, her crackerjack band and three remarkable backing singers ambled back on stage for a spirited run-through of the Marvin Gaye/Motown classic “How Sweet it is to Be Loved By You” and a stunning version of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” by Milton Vann that earned a standing ovation.
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Love returned for only six more songs. All were excellent. I know the standard wisdom recommends “leaving the audience wanting more” but I was hoping for a whole lot more. At 9:05, the house lights came on and the show was over. No encore.
The setlist equally spotlighted songs from Love’s heyday with Spector and her fine 2015 Steven Van Zandt-produced comeback album “Introducing Darlene Love,” which took 35 years to complete.
Fans went gaga for those ’60s Philles Records gems, and the 5-piece band delivered them with gusto. “He’s Sure the Boy I Love,” a hit for the Crystals sung by non-member Love, was glorious fun that featured a doo-wop intro, muscular tenor sax solo and sing-along chorus. Love and her singers (Ula Hedwig, Baritone Williams and Milton Vann) added silly Frug-like (or was it the Mashed Potato?) dance steps. The first set closed with a swell “He’s a Rebel,” recorded by Love’s band the Blossoms but credited to the Crystals and rushed into the marketplace by Spector before Vicki Carr’s version could be released.
The charming naivety and innocence of “Today I Met the Boy I’m Going to Marry” and “Wait Till My Bobby Gets Home” were refreshing in today’s uncertain world. “Da Doo Ron Ron” got audience members out of their seats, to dance and sing along.
Of the “new” songs, Van Zandt’s show-opening “Among the Believers” and the rollicking ‘50s-like “Forbidden Nights,” written for Love by superfan Elvis Costello, were highlights. Love put the power in Joan Jett’s power ballad “Little Liar” and all four vocalists dazzled in the gospel number “Marvelous.”
The show ended with a spirited version of “River Deep, Mountain High,” the Spector-produced hit for Ike and Tina Turner. Yes, Love sang backup on that record (and a young Leon Russell played piano).
Special praise must be given to Love’s three backing vocalists. The headliner, herself, is best known for adding her powerful voice to others’ hits, as documented in the film “20 Feet From Stardom” (see it!). Hedwig (one of Bette Midler’s original Harlettes who has also backed Paul Simon, Robert Plant, Donald Fagen and others), preacher-gospel singer Vann and Williams all stood 20 feet away from Love on stage and all deserve to be stars in their own right.
Bill Brotherton is the Item’s Features editor. He can be reached at [email protected]