Gladys Knight has won seven Grammys, been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside the Pips, received the Kennedy Center Honors as well as Grammy and BET Lifetime Achievement Awards, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is also an avid humanitarian and philanthropist, and has had 11 No. 1 singles on the Billboard R&B chart as well as two No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. As impressive as all of this is, it is only a small list of the achievements she has made over the course of a career that started more than seven decades ago.
She treated Huntsville, Alabama, to a night of classics at the Mark C. Smith Concert Hall. It was such a wonderful show, and I know everybody in attendance was thrilled to have heard such a legendary musician perform. I heard so many compliments and positive things while walking around. In fact, despite some really mean and unnecessary things I have read on the internet lately about her performance and health, I am very happy to report that she looked beautiful, happy, and healthy, and her performance was on point. Her voice sounded just as breathtaking and strong as any other time I have heard her sing, and there were several moments where she was dancing while perfectly hitting her cues. A true professional and amazing artist who has been mesmerizing audiences for more than seven decades!
It was also really nice to see her interacting with all the members of the band and giving them each their moments to shine, as they are all incredibly talented musicians in their own right. I saw only respect between all of them, and each one of them is inspiring in their own way. Speaking of the band, I want to give a special mention to Yuko and Chris, who I got to know a little bit on the Queens tour, for being so pleasant, as always, to sit down and talk with. Really, every musician and her entire crew were very kind to me, and I enjoyed hearing about their experiences. It solidified for me how much of a family dynamic they really have.
The songs were all fantastic. The night started strong with the 1980 classic “Taste of Bitter Love” from her About Love album. She immediately won over the crowd from the first song. She kept the momentum going with 1969’s “The Nitty Gritty” from the album of the same name. “On and On” was another highlight I really enjoyed. It comes from the 1974 soundtrack album Claudine. We also got to hear “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” a massively successful R&B No. 1 hit recorded in 1967. It did not take long for it to become Motown’s biggest-selling hit to that time.
The night closed out with another one of my all-time favorites, “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Another masterpiece that made it to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 after its 1973 release on the Imagination album. The whole night really was full of great music by amazing musicians, and I highly recommend coming out to a show any chance you get. Gladys Knight defined eras and has been a voice of generations. Her contributions to music are priceless, and to be able to see her perform and hear how strong her voice still is in 2026 is something to behold.
Setlist:
