To mark Gladys Knight’s farewell UK tour, we have compiled eight of our favourite live performances from the Empress of Soul.
You can buy tickets to see Gladys Knight at London’s Royal Albert Hall on 27-28th June HERE.
‘Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)’ – 1973
The melancholic ‘Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)’ was Gladys Knight & The Pips’ last single before leaving Motown for Buddah Records. The song won the group a Grammy. Knight’s live performance of the song on Burt Sugarman’s The Midnight Special featured a live horn section and an immaculate vocal that could have been recorded straight to vinyl.
‘The Way We Were’ – 1980s
This Academy Award-winning standard was first recorded by Barbra Streisand for the film The Way We Were (1973). Gladys Knight & The Pips recorded a live rendition in 1974 which became a moderate hit. There is an aching melancholy and wistfulness in Knight’s reading below, performed at an Aids fundraiser.
‘License To Kill’ – 2018
This performance, live from Hyde Park, underscores the marvellous upkeep of Knight’s voice. Recorded in 1989 for the James Bond film of the same name, ‘Licence to Kill’ is a thrilling power ballad written by Narada Michael Walden. Backed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, Knight’s performance below is defiant and assertive. To quote a YouTube commenter: ‘Almost 30 years ago this song was released and she’s still singing it with no effort! Classy and elegant!’
‘Midnight Train To Georgia’ – 2018
There are a plethora of videos of Knight performing her signature song ‘Midnight Train to Georgia‘. This performance at the Kennedy Center, celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King, is particularly joyful.
‘Help Me Make It Through the Night’ – 1972
Knight’s rendering of this Kris Kristofferson ballad is a masterclass in phrasing and interpretation. In the below performance, filmed for the BBC in 1972, Knight conveys the vulnerability of the lyric and the longing for romantic and sexual intimacy. Her whispery low tones are heavenly.
‘If I Were Your Woman’ – 1972
In her autobiography, Knight writes that she was reluctant to record ‘If I Were Your Woman’ as she struggled to relate to the lyric. Her performance on the record would make you think otherwise, likewise in this live concert performance where Knight rips through the song.
Medley of ‘The End of Our Road’, ‘The Masquerade is Over’, and ‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine’ – 1968
Performing on The Ed Sullivan Show, Knight deftly transitions from a groovy ‘The End of Our Road’ to a deeply heartfelt ‘The Masquerade is Over’, and back to a rollicking ‘Grapevine’.
‘I Will Survive’ – 1986
In 1986, Knight brought together her friends and fellow soul singers Dionne Warwick and Patti LaBelle for a television concert special called Sisters in the Name of Love. She delivered an unexpected cover of Gloria Gaynor’s disco smash ‘I Will Survive’. Knight’s largely balladic version, turbocharged by its dramatic modulation, draws out new meaning and depth to the lyric.
(Image taken from Royal Albert Hall website)
