A Night of Soul and Funk

     On Saturday, October 22, 2011, the legendary Commodores performed at the Emerald Queen Casino. Enormously popular in the 1970's and 1980's, the Commodores are an American soul/funk band that branched into disco. Lionel Richie is long gone, but his former band performed so well that his absense was barely noticeable.

     The show opened with the rhythm of a human heart to demonstrate how excited and happy a person becomes when listening to the Commodores' music. Their sultry rendition of "Too Hot ta Trot" grabbed the audience's attention. This was followed by the soothing ballad entitled "Easy." The upbeat "You Bring Me Up when I'm Down" showcased the band's ability to dance as well as sing and play.

As the show progressed, the band played their greatest hits, including "Sail On" and "Three Times a Lady." In 1985, the Commodores received a grammy for "Nightshift," their moving tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson. I enjoyed hearing the original version of "Nightshift," but I've read that they recently remade this song as a tribute to Michael Jackson. This is fitting because the Commodores first caught the public's eye when they performed as the opening act for the Jackson Five in 1971. Unfortunately, the band did not play the remake.

The entire audience rose and danced to the Commodores' finale, an energetic version of "She's a Brick House."

Owned by the Puyallup tribe, the Emerald Queen Casino is located in Fife, Washington. The casino is famous for bringing world-class entertainment to the Pacific Northwest.