By Frank “Smokin” Truatt
KC and the Sunshine Band performed last Friday at the Mayo performing Arts Center in Morristown, New Jersey. The last time I saw them in concert was 20 years ago in Dover, New Jersey at a small theater and I truly enjoyed the show. If I’ve seen an artist before, I usually don’t see them a second time, unless they put on a show so impressive that I feel I just have to see them again. KC and the Sunshine Band were good the first time, but not memorable.
When you add a couple of decades between performances, that expectation gets lowered quite a bit, but it has been a while between concerts. I like their music, and I had hoped that their appearance at the Mayo Performing Arts Center with their great sound system and comfortable seating would make a difference. Before the show, I noticed that the audience was showing their age a bit. Could the 1970’s be that far back in time already? The show opened with the keyboard player singing a high-energy new tune to a soundtrack that was fantastic and got the crowd energized. The band took the stage shortly thereafter and began playing. It was not just any band, it was the Sunshine Band, all 10 of them complete with a horn section and colorful outfits. Out came four female dancers, also in colorful outfits, different ages and great energy! Then came KC, and the crowd came alive to the tunes of the 1970’s. The audience was on their feet as they played our 1970’s soundtrack as well as all five of their number one Billboard hits. KC interacted with the audience all evening and at one point, joked about his weight gain, something he attributed to being sedentary during covid. Weight gain or not, KC danced from one end of the stage to the other all evening. They played a number one song from George McCrae called “Rock Your Baby.” I never knew that KC co-wrote that song and that it influenced John Lennon to write “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night.” The Sunshine Band was one of the tightest bands I’ve ever heard. A few times, KC left the stage to let the band jam, and they brought down the house.
We always say that a performance is the best we’ve ever seen when we leave the Mayo. In this case, we could say that again. It was a special night with a band playing at their best to an audience who knew they were part of something really special. We may all be a bit older, but that evening we all felt youthful, and from his performance on stage, so did KC!
