Oh, what a lucky bunch of guys, those in the audience for this Teddy Pendergrass show at London’s Hammersmith Odeon. You see, the big ol’ soulful teddy bear of a man didn’t just sing about women; he sang to them. They found him to be (Pendergrass died last year.) romance personified, and when he introduced Lionel Richie’s “Lady” by saying the words represent everything he wanted to say to his own lady, the women in the audience started to melt.

At the end of “Where Did All the Loving Go,” gals were in a clamor to get to the edge of the stage and give Teddy a rose and maybe get a kiss in return. And if you think that nether regions started to tingle during the sensual double dose of “Come Go With Me” and “Close the Door,” how do you think the ladies were feeling when Pendergrass cooed “Turn Off the Lights” with its lyrics about showering together, washing each other’s bodies and then applying hot oils? So yes, it was a very lucky and very busy bunch of guys who saw this show.

Actually, everyone in the audience was blessed to be in attendance; Pendergrass was in a career-thwarting car wreck that turned him into a paraplegic later in the year. This nearly 30-year-old footage captures Teddy at his best and is still a very powerful aphrodisiac. So, take a hint, fellows.

Grade: A



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