Ladies and gents alike enjoyed taking a wonderful stroll down memory lane with legendary soul crooners The Manhattans when the group returned to Pittsburgh after an eight-year hiatus.
“We are so glad to be invited back to Pittsburgh,” said lead singer Gerald Alston to the adoring crowd of fans at the concert. “We are thankful to Joyce Meggerson-Moore for asking us to come back and perform.”
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The group was on hand to headline the annual black tie event to celebrate New Horizon Theater’s 20th anniversary season.
The evening began with an excerpt from “Hi Hat Hattie,” New Horizon Theater’s last play of the 2012 season, which featured powerhouse vocalist Shaunyce Omar who told the story of actress and singer Hattie McDaniel.
Omar received a standing ovation after performing several songs from the one-woman musical.
Her beautiful voice got the audience ready for the Manhattans.
Dressed in black suits, Alston and his fellow band mates took the audience on a time traveling ride through their most popular soul hits.
Founding member Winfred “Blue” Lovett was not in attendance because of health problems. Alston’s cousin took over Lovett’s role for the night singing back ground vocals and singing a few tunes with Alston.
Some of those hits included “Kiss and Say Goodbye,” “Shining Star,” “Don’t Take Your Love,” “Hurt,” “Crazy,” and “There’s No Me Without You.”
Alston also performed a few of his ten solo hits including “Slow Motion” and Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.”
All of the music had the audience clamoring for more—so much so that they asked for an encore, which the band graciously obliged.
Afterwards, committee-level audience members were treated to a meet and greet and autograph signing with the Manhattans.
“It was a great concert! Joyce did it again. She always manages to put together an enjoyable concert,” said attendee J. E. Wynn.
New Horizon Theater will be holding its Summer Jamz 2012 fundraiser later this summer. Attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank.
“Although we don’t have much, we try to give back to the community as much as we can,” said Joyce Meggerson-Moore, chairperson of New Horizon Theater.
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