'Love Train' stops in Philly

It was around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday when The O’Jays broke into one of the group’s biggest hits, “Love Train.” Given the lateness of the concert, a half hour later and that song could have easily turned into “Midnight Train to Georgia” for those of us who were still awake at that hour.
But that took nothing away from a show that served up a good portion of “Philly soul” as we knew it in the 1970s, with a dose of Motown worked in for good measure Wednesday at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia.
The O’Jays — original members Walter Williams Sr. and Eddie Levert Sr. along with Eric Grant, who joined the trio in 1997 — were in on the ground floor of the “Philadelphia Sound,” working with Philly’s legendary songwriting and production team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. In addition to “Love Train,” the group — elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 — produced several hits in its heyday, including “Back Stabbers,” For the Love of Money” and “I Love Music,” all of which they sang Wednesday evening.
Joining The O’Jays at The Mann were The Stylistics — a Philly group that produced ’70s hits like “Betcha By Golly, Wow,” “You Are Everything” and “You Make Me Feel Brand New” — and The Four Tops, which produced “I Can’t Help Myself” and “It’s The Same Old Song” for Berry Gordy Jr. at Motown in the 1960s.
These days, The Stylistics still have original members Herbie Murrell and Airrion Love while the only surviving founding member of The Four Tops is Abdul “Duke” Fakir, who still performs with the group.
The Mann show featured all the hits — and all the choreographed dancing and matching suits for all three groups. Not only it is great music, but it’s great dancing and showmanship as well. I love that stuff. Over the years, that’s been a tried and true formula for these groups, which makes for an enjoyable evening of entertainment for concertgoers.
I was a big fan of The Stylistics in the 1970s growing up in central Illinois. By the late 1970s, I had become a big fan of The O’Jays. Turns out I was a big fan of the Philly Sound before I even knew there was such a thing. I just thought it was the “Illinois Sound.” Too much time spent in and around cornfields at that time to know the ways of the world, I guess. And Wednesday was the first opportunity for me to see both groups live.
I also got a kick out of watching the crowd for this show. Some people treated it as a big night out on the town, dressing in fancy evening duds, while others opted for shorts and t-shirts. I was among those in shorts, but I did put on a button-down collared shirt so I didn’t look quite as much like I just walked off the beach.
Everybody should take the opportunity to hear The O’Jays sing “Love Train” in concert. It’s just one of those songs that will live forever.
I’m glad I finally got that chance.