Love opened her set with the upbeat “Among The Believers,” which was penned by Steven Van Zandt, and she had her audience clapping along. “Thank you very much,” Love said. “How are you guys doing? This is our fifth year coming here, and everybody gets excited when we play at the Landmark.”
She had the crowd singing along to “Love Kept Us Foolin’ Around,” and the stage was graced in a green backdrop when she sang the uptempo “Sweet Freedom.”
Love shared that “Just Another Lonely Mile” was written by her buddy Bruce Springsteen, and it featured neat backing vocals from her back-up singers. “You guys ok?” she asked. “You sound good,” she added, praising the Long Island audience, prior to singing her powerhouse single, “Forbidden Nights,” as the stage was graced in a red backdrop.
She paid homage to fellow rock star Joan Jett by covering “Little Liar,” and it was followed by a holiday tune “Marshmallow World,” the latter of which had a snowflake background to it, prior to noting that Christmas is a very special time of the year for the acclaimed songstress.
“Who Under Heaven” was the highlight ballad from the first half of her set, where she was able to showcase her tremendous vocal range, and she proved that she is one true song stylist.
It was followed by “All Alone on Christmas,” and after a brief intermission, Love and her band returned to perform “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” which was sung solely by her three background singers and they were able to deliver. Her male back-up singer then took the spotlight to perform a superb version of the classic “O Holy Night,” which resonated well with the Long Island crowd.
Love picked up the pace with the upbeat and fun “He’s Sure the Boy I Love” and asked if there were any rebels in the house prior to singing her No. 1 single “He’s a Rebel,” which has been certified triple platinum.
She dedicated the love ballad “(Today I Met) The Boy I’m Gonna Marry” to the couples that were married 30, 40 and 50 years in the audience. Love shared that it is great for her to sing these songs today, and she enjoys them as much as she did back when she recorded them 50 years ago.
“Wait Til My Bobby Gets Home” was a great deal of fun and it was followed by “Da Doo Ron Ron,” which featured an exceptional a cappella ending, as the crowd sang along.
“Marvelous” was a well-crafted spiritual tune, which really tugged at the audience’s heartstrings and earned Love and her band a standing ovation. “Can you handle a new song by Bruce Springsteen?” she asked, prior to performing “Night Closing In,” and she has everybody clapping along.
She closed with a cover of Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High,” and returned for an encore, which included a special vocal performance of her signature tune “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” which was sheer perfection.
The Verdict
Overall, Darlene Love put on a fantastic live concert at the Landmark on Main Street in Port Washington. She sang for well over two hours, and she was backed by a talented 8-piece band and three gifted background singers. She interacted well with the audience as she performed songs from her new album Introducing Darlene Love and several Christmas classics. Love earned an A+ for putting on a stellar performance.
