Knight gives it her all in Flamingo show

Joe Delaney

Friday, Feb. 15, 2002 | 9:40 a.m.

Gladys Knight, assisted by her big brother, "Bubba," once a Pip, delivered a tour-de-force 90 minutes in the Flamingo Las Vegas showroom, with every one of the 750 seats occupied at the show caught on Tuesday, her opening night.

Credit top impressionist Danny Gans and his personal manager, Chip Lightman, for producing a show that brought out the best in one of the top pop and soul singers for four decades.

Knight was in a bravura mode from the beginning. The biographical film clips were just enough and made even more tolerable with the song "Too Young" as background. She entered from a screen located center stage that acted as a nice frame for her when she wasn't working the entire room, from one side of the stage to the other.

Musical director Scott Kennedy and seven mighty musicians, plus five exceptional singer/dancers, occupied two three-tiered areas on either side of the center-stage screen. Knight entered singing "At Last," and all concerned took off for up-tempo rides on "Love Overboard," "Save the Overtime," and "Friendship Train."

The chat at this point was brief, personal and quite funny. Bubba interrupted, got laughs and was finally sent offstage. Knight and the ensemble were in high gear immediately with "On and On," "Neither One of Us," "My Imagination," then a change of pace with a country song, "Please, Help Me, I'm Falling in Love With You," followed by "You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me" and a rousing "Midnight Train to Georgia," a Grammy winner.

"Wind Beneath My Wings" led to a five-selection, heartfelt Sammy Davis Jr. tribute, followed by a 10-song Motown label medley, crediting the original hit makers, ending with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," a Knight/Pips hit when they were with the label. Bubba had his time to shine at this point and made the most of it.

Band and singer/dancer acknowledgements followed, and a warm family reminiscence led to a gospel interlude that included "I Don't Feel No Ways Tired," "The Reason Why We Sing," "I'll Take You There" and "When the Saints Go Marching In." Knight took her first bows then returned for "End of the Road" and a well-deserved unanimous standing ovation.

Kudos to all concerned. Everything seems nicely in place for a long, happy engagement for Knight.