26th annual City Lites Motown & Mo' show sells out

'Motown is so important because that musical era was a fantastic era of friendship and love,' Director Irving 'Doc' Robinson said. 'It became the heartbeat of urban music.'

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City Lites' 26th annual Motown & Mo performance was another sellout performance.

"They had to open up the balcony in order to accommodate everyone that wanted to attend. So we were pleased with that," show director Irving "Doc" Robinson said. 

The show this year was themed "Taking a Walk Down Memory Lane" and was curated with musical performances from Motown archives meant to bring out the nostalgia of the 1970s, Robinson said. The Motown era was known for performers like Diana Ross and the Supremes, Marvin Gay and Aretha Franklin.

"Motown is so important because that musical era was a fantastic era of friendship and love," Robinson said. "It became the heartbeat of urban music."

The show's two performances on Oct. 18 and 19 both had long walk-up lines to the Fitzgerald Performing Arts Center at Flagler Palm Coast High School, he said. To involve the younger generations, he said, this year's performance also included more contemporary songs from artists like Jennifer Lopez.

The annual Motown & Mo show is a fundraiser for local Matanzas High School and Flagler Palm Coast High School students. Earlier in 2024, Robinson said, City Lites was able to give out three $1,000 scholarships to students Ciara Gordon, Mara Rush and Maxwell Lee, who graduated last spring.

The City Lites performances are not just a way for performers to give back to the community, but also to keep them active in the community. Many of the City Lites members and performers have been involved in the show since before City Lites became a 501c3 nonprofit in 2009, Robinson said.

Robinson said they opened the show with the song of "Someday we'll be Together" by Diana Ross and the Supremes as a memorial tribute to Motown & Mo  The 2024 show was dedicated to the following Motown and Mo' members who died in 2024: Willie "Mitch" Mitchell, Eugene Price, Ronald R. Ambrose and Mark O. Odle Sr.

 

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