Aussie soul sensation steals the show from Smokey.

Motown star stopped in his tracks.

I wanted to see a show whilst I was in Chicago. Phil Collins and Elton John were scheduled but I was not interested. However when I found out that Smokey Robinson would be in town I was committed.

Smokey is a premier league performer. He is in the same division as Aretha, Etta, Sam and Otis. To see him would be memorable.

However the show would not be in Chicago. It would be at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, about 35 miles north of The Windy City. No problem, there are trains every hour and the last train back is at midnight.

The show was on a Friday night. I arrived in Waukegan at about 5pm. It was quiet, very quiet indeed.  To pass the time I went for a walk around the town. Then I went for another walk around the town. I still had time to kill. There was a McDonalds so I went there for a coffee.

I started to think that my evening was going to be disappointing.

I need not have worried.

The Genesee Theatre is a gem. It was built at the turn of the last century at a time that we in the UK call Edwardian. The show was a sell out and a great atmosphere was building up.

I had really nice company. There was Karen from Chicago and there was Ruth who lives in Chicago but hails from Edmonton North London with her husband Tom. There was Lynette, a care worker from Brisbane.

Then there was Lynette’s friend Zoey.

Zoey told us that she is a police officer back in Brisbane and that she and Lynette were on a little soul tour. They had been to Detroit to see the Motown Museum but that the highlight of their tour would be to see Smokey.

What she didn’t tell us was that she is the fastest thing to come out of Australia.

Faster than when Cathy Freeman won gold at the Sydney Olympics.

Faster than when Skippy the Bush Kangaroo dashed home to tell Sonny that Clancy had fallen down the old mine shaft.

If anybody has any aspirations to hold up a post office in Queensland, forget it! Zoey will have you cuffed and kissing the tarmac before you get to the first set of traffic lights.

Smokey was fantastic and the audience was with him all of the way. He came on stage to a standing ovation and things built up from there. He performed many of his great songs, “My Girl”, “Second That Emotion”, “Get Ready” and of course”The Tracks Of My Tears”.

The vibe in the noise in the theatre was amazing. Smokey had the audience in his hands. Then, close to the end of the show he asked for a volunteer form the audience to join him on stage and to sing with him.

Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooosh!!!

Before any body could say Jack Robinson, Zoey was on the stage. Nobody else stood a chance. She must have broken the world land speed record to get there. It was an unforgettable moment. What a way to end the evening.

You did Australia proud Zoey.