"Uncle Charlie" Wilson didn't disappoint the 5,246 fans who went to see him Friday at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock.
The 62-year-old partied onstage like a man much younger. He dipped. He spun. He did the "Running Man" dance. He went through three wardrobe changes, exchanging a black tuxedo with glittery gold jacket and trouser stripes for a second ensemble featuring a jacket with silvery vertical embellishments; a third getup whose jacket bore twinkling studs; and finally, a white suit.
And he kept up with the bevy of young women dancers who also underwent frequent wardrobe changes during a spectacle that was as much visual as auditory.
Much to the crowd's delight, Wilson hit the ground running with a hit from his days as lead singer of the Gap Band -- "Party Train," during which he and the dancers entered the stage in train formation. After a quick switch to another Gap Band hit, "Early in the Morning," Wilson switched to his solo-career numbers, including "Birthday Dress" and "There Goes My Baby," during which he vigorously trilled and ad-libbed over the chorus track.
Wilson re-entered his Gap Band vault to pull out "Burn Rubber on Me," then "Humpin'," during which the stage lights were killed to showcase the colored chasing and twinkling lights adorning Wilson's and his dancers' suit jackets. Sporting fedoras at this point, they went into the Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars hit "Uptown Funk" before going into a medley of dances from the '80s and '90s.
Another highlight was when Wilson sang a few bars of Sam Cooke's "You Send Me" -- the only time he sat during the performance. He followed up with a little gospel singing, which came with a testimony and a praise dance, and later gave a mini-tribute to the late Roger Troutman with the Zapp hit "I Want to Be Your Man."
Wilson's final Gap Band numbers included the hit "Yearning For Your Love" and the concert-ender, "Outstanding." The band members put on a show themselves, cavorting onstage in matching dark suits, red shirts and bright green accessories ... and delivering bad-to-the-bone saxophone and electric guitar solos throughout the performance.
R&B singers Joe and Kem, who preceded Wilson, offered short, crowd-pleasing performances, Joe performing hits "Stutter" and "All The Things Your Man Won't Do;" Kem performing "Love Calls" and "Share My Life."
Metro on 05/31/2015