ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The legacy version of an iconic R&B/soul group will play a headline grandstand show with Allentown Symphony Orchestra on Allentown Fair's opening night, it was announced Monday.
The Four Tops, who in the 1960s helped define the Motown sound with hits such chart-topping hits as "Reach Out I'll Be There," will perform at 7 p.m. Sept. 2.
Tickets, the prices of which were not revealed, will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, June 12, at the fair's website, or at the box office on the fairgrounds.Allentown Fair
The vocal group will be joined onstage by Allentown Symphony Orchestra, which is celebrating its 75th season.
"The Great Allentown Fair has always been about bringing exceptional entertainment to our community, and this performance is truly something special," fair Marketing & Entertainment Manager Jessica Ciecwisz said.
"The combination of The Four Tops' legendary catalog and the artistry of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra will create an unforgettable evening for music lovers of all generations."
Tickets, the prices of which were not revealed, will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, June 12, at the fair's website or at the box office on the fairgrounds. All show tickets include fair admission.
Special box office hours will be held from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday. The box office also is open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every Thursday.
The announcement is the latest for this year's fair, which will run Sept. 2-7.
Previously announced were Stars, Stripes & Slams wrestling on Sept. 3,fast-rising country singer Warren Zeiders on Sept. 4, platinum-selling pop-punk band All Time Low with up-and-coming fast-rising pop-punk singer Taylor Acorn on Sept. 5, and Local Legends Live, a celebration of local music, at 2 p.m. Sept. 6.
Tickets remain available for all the shows.
Hits in three decades
The Four Tops from 1965-81 had 18 Top 20 hits, two of which went to No. 1 — "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" in 1965 and the 1966 gold hit "Reach Out I'll Be There."
Along with The Temptations, The Supremes, The Miracles and Martha and the Vandellas, they established the Motown sound of pop-friendly soul and R&B.
The group broke onto the charts in 1964 with the hit "Baby I Need Your Lovin'," which peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100.The Four Tops history
The group broke onto the charts in 1964 with the hit "Baby I Need Your Lovin'," which peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100.
It followed with "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)," the Top 5 "It's the Same Old Song" and the Top 20 "Something About You," all in 1965.
It's 1965 self-titled debut album topped the R&B chart, and in all, 18 of its albums hit the Top 20 on that chart.
It started 1966 with "Reach Out I'll Be There," then followed with "Standing in the Shadows of Love" and "Burnadette," both Top 5 hits.
It continued having Top 10 hits through the 1973 gold hit "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)" and 1981's "When She Was My Girl," which topped the R&B chart.
From its start through 1997, the group had the same lineup. Lead singer Levi Stubbs died in 2008, and final original member Abdul "Duke" Fakir in 2024.
The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and received a Grammy Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.
Allentown Symphony Orchestra is under the leadership of Music Director and Conductor Diane Wittry, now in her 31st season.
Many of its musicians also perform with major orchestras in Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
The Four Tops performed with The Temptations at Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem on Saturday.
