Smokey Robinson and Gladys Knight opened their two-night “Just the Two of Us” run at the Hollywood Bowl on 24 July, offering a contrast between Robinson’s energetic, polished performance and Knight’s more limited set. The concert mattered as a rare appearance by two enduring Motown and R&B figures in their eighties, though the review found their current live capabilities markedly different.

– Robinson, 86, was praised for singing strongly, moving energetically and engaging the audience, including a Stevie Wonder impression before “The Tears of a Clown”.
– The review criticised Robinson’s lengthy audience-participation section during “Cruisin’”, particularly as songs such as “Shop Around” and “More Love” were omitted.
– Knight, 82, was said to retain flashes of her signature intensity but to rely heavily on backing singers, shortened arrangements and occasional lead vocals from them.
– Knight refreshed “The Nitty Gritty” by combining it with The Jacksons’ “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and incorporated Luther Vandross’ “Never Too Much” elsewhere.
– Her gospel section included Donnie McClurkin’s “Stand” and “Take Me to the King”, reflecting a strand of her career that has earned her recent Grammy awards.
– Despite the show’s title, Robinson and Knight did not perform together or sing the 1981 song “Just the Two of Us”.
– Both artists first reached the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 in 1961 and remain prominent members of their generation’s musical legacy.