Gladys Knight is one of the modern day legends of music. Known as the “Empress of Soul” and having won ten Grammy awards, it was a privilege to see Knight make a stop in Sydney at the Star Event Centre on her farewell tour. 

As she entered the auditorium, decked out in a full length blue dress, she immediately began belting out the hits that her supportive audience had become accustomed too, with “Shake Your Body Down to the Ground” providing a regal authority to the opening of the set. 

Knight was in fine voice from the beginning of the set, bringing a beautiful and rich tone to every song she performed. Her voice has a warmth and pleasantness about it which truly allows her to connect with her audience and that was on full display in this set. Even as she approaches 80, Knight still commanded the stage with the poise of someone who was born for the spotlight.   

Knight did not engage much with the crowd during the show, instead choosing to run through her setlist quite methodically. When she did speak to the audience, it was often in quite a superficial way, which was fine, as it placed the focus squarely on the music but it would have helped the connection with the crowd if there had been some more engagement. Nonetheless, the crowd were generally happy to be seeing a legend perform in fine voice one final time so the focus on the songs was certainly not a major disappointment. 

While Knight understandably left a lot of her numerous hits off her setlist due to time constraints, some of her biggest hits were highlights of the show. “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” was performed with power and panache while “Midnight Train to Georgia” was a wonderful way to close the night. 

Knight’s setlist was a little shorter than usual but it still packed a considerable punch. The energy in the room was also nicely supported by Hayley Teal who performed a fabulous opening set full of strong covers that set the mood for Knight’s main set. Teal’s voice was light and lyrical and left the audience captivated throughout her 40 minute performance. 

Knight’s band were fabulous throughout the night. Her backing vocalists were on hand to help Knight when needed whilst also performing fabulously in their own right while her instrumental band were also note-perfect throughout the whole performance.

This was a performance that everyone in the audience felt privileged to see – a legend hanging up the microphone while still in fine voice. While not everything in the show was perfect, it didn’t have to be as ultimately, the audience came to hear one of the best voices in the business for one final time and they certainly got that. 

Rating: ★★★★

Gladys Knight – Star Event Centre – 30^th March, 2024