On August 29th Shalamar took the stage at the MotorCity Casino’s Sound Board in Detroit, and they brought ALL the energy and nostalgia. It had been way too long since I last saw them—2015 and overseas, to be exact—so seeing them stateside felt like a homecoming.

Before I get into the show, let me share a lil backstory: I’ve known Howard Hewett for nearly 25 years and even managed his social media for 15 of those years! So yeah, he was always like family! Enough about our history…that’s for another day and time 😂

Before we get to Shalamar, though, let’s talk about the opening act: Twon Green. He’s not new to the music game—he’s toured with LJ Reynolds and The Dramatics and has his own band, Twon & Galaxy. Twon gave us some original tunes and then hit us with a cover of Prince’s “When Doves Cry”, which got the crowd grooving. Mood…set!

Now for the moment we all waited for…Shalamar! From the first note of “Make That Move” we were in for a good time. Howard Hewett, in his usual charismatic way, had the ladies swooning with his smooth vocals. Carolyn Griffey aka Baby Girl held it down for the ladies, stunning as always. And Jeffrey Daniel? It’s hard to believe that he’s in his 60s now, but he was pop-locking and sliding across that stage like it was the 1980s again! You know he’s the one who taught Michael Jackson that famous move right?…the Moonwalk. When Jeffrey backslid across the stage, the crowd went wild! It was like watching a piece of music history in real time, and the audience couldn’t get enough. Hit after hit Shalamar gave us their all! A surprise I didn’t expect was one of my jams “Dead Giveaway”! 😄

The only personal downside for me was considering this day would have been Michael Jackson’s birthday I thought/hoped there would be some acknowledgment of the day. After all, Howard and Jeffrey (a cousin of MJ) both worked with him.

After the show, we headed back to see the ‘fam’. (A mutual friend hooked us up with backstage passes) I spotted Jeffrey first, I called out, hoping he’d remember me after all these years. He saw me, and without hesitation, he knew—we hugged like family who hadn’t seen each other in forever… which, let’s be honest, is exactly what it was! While I was chatting with Jeffrey, I suddenly heard Howard call out, “Is that Kecia?” Why… yes, it is! 😂 From there, it was all chit-chat and hugs, and of course, we grabbed a quick photo.

Things are always chaotic after a show, so there wasn’t much time for deep conversations, but it was still such a special moment to see them all again. As for Carolyn, I didn’t get a photo this time, but we did get to say hi and share a tight hug—it had been soooo long since we’d seen each other. Even in the quick moments, it felt like catching up with old friends.

While it may not be the classic trio everyone keeps pining for, Shalamar still has it, their chemistry is electric and they enjoy performing together which is obvious. Besides that, this concert was proof that their music is timeless. It was truly “A Night To Remember”.