Smooth sounds of Motown could be heard rippling across the world’s longest freshwater beach as thousands of Wasaga Beach residents and visitors of all ages came together to sing and dance the night away. The Legends of Motown paid tribute to iconic 1960s Motown artists like The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight. Memories of Summer certainly ended off on a high note with crowds of people filling the parking lot at Beach Area 2 along the shores of Georgian Bay Saturday night. Telling the audience about the show, the history of Motown and introducing the acts, was emcee and host Evan Carter. He tells CTV News the show is a recreation of the Motown tours that artists would do in 1964 and 1965. Several artists and a band used to head out on the road together and put on a show. Legends of Motown aims to replicate just that - it tours around the world bringing the legendary music genre back to life for audiences. “Everybody knows Motown and they get up and dance,” says Carter. “I saw one night, two people in the audience had a birthday. They didn’t know one another. One guy was turning 37, one woman was turning 84. They got up together in the aisles and started dancing. And that’s the kind of thing that Motown brings. It brings people together.” He says people bring their children and grandchildren to the shows. “It’s such a wonderful art form and people really enjoy it,” says Carter. The setlist included hits like “My Girl” and “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” by The Temptations and “Dancing in the Street” by Martha and the Vendellas. Producer David Callender put together the show, where he hired the singers and the band, choreographed it and managed the costumes and wigs. “I feel like the work has been laid out for us by the great Berry Gordy along with Smokey Robinson. It’s an amazing body of work that we’re just trying to recreate and capture the essence of,” says Callender. He says the music was from a simpler time and it’s songs everybody knows “even if you don’t know you know it.” “The simplicity of the lyrics, the melody is just so strong. It comes from a time where melody was really the king, I say,” says Callender. “Now we’re in a time of such rhythm-based music. Lyrics have kind of gone out the window. But this is a time where the stories were just so simple, beautiful, sweet.” The festival ended with a dazzling fireworks show to cap off the night. Now in its 10th year, Memories of Summer draws in more than 10,000 people every year. Featuring live music spanning five decades, there was something for everyone to enjoy during the send-off to summer. The Yacht Rock Show kicked things off on Thursday night, with music from the ‘70s and ‘80s. Wing Night (the band) brought the biggest Hip-Hop and R&B hits of the ‘90s and early 2000s back to the forefront on Friday night. Attendees could also enjoy a Ferris wheel ride, gelato and poutine from various food trucks and lawn games, all against the backdrop of a classic beach sunset over Georgian Bay.
