MLK Jr. Holiday Festival At Gibson Amphitheatre

SOS Band was the best!!! They should have been allowed to play longer. Cameo was good too but what was wrong with Larry??? He looked like he was hurting. The Dazz Band, LTD, and the Ohio Players were ok. Klymaxx should not perform anymore. They were the worst. Their time could have been used for the SOS Band. Had that happened, I would have given this show more stars.

Overall the show was alright. The Ohio Players were a disappointment. LTD shouldn't have played so long a set much less, even been on the bill. The headliners, Cameo's set was way too short. Dazz Band & Klymaxx were good. However, the one band that had the shortest set were the best sounded performers of the evening. 2 song set. If LTD would've cut it short or been no shows, maybe the headliners & the S.O.S. Band (w/their incredible female drummer Crystal) could've amazed us all with their much appreciated musical talents. Also must mention poor lighting & video feeds.

I really enjoyed the concert. It started pretty much on time and went along smoothly. Ohio Players should have had "Sugar foot" maybe they would have sounded better, and of course LTD without Jeffery Osbourne, but the replacement was alot better than the one I saw in Long Beach last year. Dazz Band, S.O.S. Band, and Cameo were excellent, although the lead singer can't jump around like he use too. Klymaxx was good. Most of the time I don't realize how mature I am until I go to one of these concerts.

Let me first say that I am a big fan of these groups, and the "Funk Festival" format has worked for me in the past, but only when the groups are currently hot. The reason I say this is because groups like the Ohio Players and Cameo have so much material, they end up rushing through their act trying to fit in the most songs. This was the most apparent with the Ohio Players, who just started abbreviating songs while obviously trying to get out of the way. As to the quality of the entire show, it went like this: LTD was the most entertaining, followed closely by the SOS band. I didn't expect it to be that way coming in, but LTD 's lead singer is an ENTERTAINER, no question. His voice is very similar to Jeffrey Osbornes, and he puts on a highly entertaining show. The band is tight, and the act has great flow. SOS Band also is tight, and the lead singer is also a fabulous entertainer. They surprisingly (for me) rocked the house. Great act! My "most disappointing" award goes to The Ohio Players. I saw this group in concert here in LA back in the mid 70's, and I wish I had not tarnished my memory of that incredible night with this "nice try". The unique vocals were missing, the horns were nowhere near as tight as the group I remember, and the organ was just ok. I realize Junie is no longer with us, but Satch, Pee Wee, and Sugarfoot made this group what is was, and this particular make up is just ok. Same songs, DEFINITELY less musicianship. "Pain" was slow and sloppy, no "Pleasure" no "Ecstasy" and very pedestrian renditions of "Heaven Must Be Like This" and "Sweet Sticky Thing". The other disappointment was Cameo. Tight band - and that's what saved them. But boy did Larry Blackmon look weird in the same strap he used to wear back in the day. It resembled a diaper! But that wasn't the reason they were disappointing, it was the abbreviated selection of material, and it seemed like a few of the really dynamic musicians that made up this group were missing. No comment on Klymaxx except to say, no band which was the unique thing about them! This was not the dynamic girls band that rocked the house back in the day. This was Bernadette Cooper and a couple of dancers with a turntable. Bernadette is a dynamic entertainer, but if you're advertising yourself as Klymaxx, at least bring some female musicians in.

Over all the concert was a lot of fun. Ohio Players were awesome. Very, very disappointed with the SOS Band only playing two songs.