When Smokey sings, you get more than just a gig. For starters, there’s 21 of them on stage including a locally-sourced string section. And that’s not including the dancers who welcome the man himself for opener Going To A Go-Go. We get the hits, and Smokey has had plenty – from I Second That Emotion and Tears of a Clown right through to Being With You.
But Smokey also entertains – bagging up all the songs he wrote for The Temptations, including My Girl and Get Ready, into a medley and even throwing in a few Otis Williams-style shimmys. And there are anecdotes from the early Motown days – refusing a lift from Stevie Wonder, because “he drives too fast”.
There’s even time for costume changes – a smart suit and a selection of classics like Fly Me To The Moon from his new album Timeless Love, then some sparkly trousers for the climax – Tracks Of My Tears, solo apart from original Miracles guitarist Marv Tarplin, which shows that despite 50 years performing Smokey is still in fine voice. Though there’s plenty of audience accompaniment from “the Glasgow choir” which develops into a mass singalong for encore Cruising.
