Details
The Drifters, Cornell Gunter’s Coasters and The Platters LIVE on Saturday, December 7, 2024.
Doors: 6:30 PM, Show: 7:30 PM | The Ellis Theater, Philadelphia, MS
All ages
General Onsale: Thursday, September 5th @ 10AM CST
Thirty years ago the entertainment manager at the Tropicana Hotel in Atlantic City had what he thought was a very good idea. It was a time of Boy Bands, Hair Bands & Hip Hop. He decided that he was going to take 3 of the most popular touring bands from early Rock & Roll (the Drifters, Coasters & Platters) and combine them into a package that could compete with the major acts that frequently played in the Tropicana’s massive showroom. Cher played that very room in those days, as did Elton John and Santana.
The above, mentioned groups had already been touring, successfully, for many years. with an established fan base, but at basically midsized clubs throughout the country. “Synergy” said, Bobby Ross (the Tropicana’s fabled entertainment director). “These groups represent synergy – the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. Place the 3 of them together and they represent the vast expanse that is the joy of early Rock & Roll.
The Drifters created the pre-Motown, heavily choreographed slickness, of Urban Pop-Soul. The Coasters (soon to become the Cornell Gunter Coasters – named after their founding member) were the premier, and perhaps the only, group combining gritty R&B with night club comedy antics. The Platters – well so much music, even then, was about love and romance (especially that of the young & unrequited variety) and that is what the Platters were all about.
The three-act package had played the country before, but Bobby Ross did something quite exceptional. He had their managers combine them into one, seamless show where their interplay put the focus on the big picture of the presentation rather than three separate concerts. And, most importantly, he booked them for an extended, six-week run.
“These groups are great alone”, Ross said at the time, “make sure we have a package where the three of them perform as one and make it a party – not a show.” Bobby noted the overwhelming numbers of Atlantic City visitors. “Word of mouth governs in this town. We’ll let some high-rollers in for free first, and if the show is what I think it will be by the second week it will be selling out.”
In a way, the very far-sighted and creative Bobby Ross was wrong. By the 4th night the show was selling out. And it continued to sell out. Not for just the original six-week run but for three, six-week run every year for the next five years.