Musical icon Patti LaBelle, whose music has crossed a number of genres from R&B to progressive soul and pop to funk over seven decades, will bring her incredible pipes and dynamic stage presence to Springfield Symphony Hall on Friday, Feb. 7.
Showtime is 8 p.m.
“We are thrilled to bring the legendary, world-class talent of Patti LaBelle to Symphony Hall. As a global music icon whose timeless voice has inspired generations, her performance represents the kind of unforgettable entertainment experience MGM Springfield is proud to deliver. This is more than a concert; it’s a celebration of culture and artistry happening in the heart of downtown Springfield,” said Andres Gomez, Director of Restaurants for MGM Springfield.
The Philadelphia-born entertainer nicknamed the “Godmother of Soul,” captured her first hit in 1962 as lead singer of The Bluebelles and went on to receive worldwide acclaim with the trailblazing and genre bending trio, Labelle. A solo artist since the 1970s, LaBelle has earned numerous honors, including Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, NAACP Image Awards and more. She has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame, and the Apollo Theater Hall of Fame.
LaBelle’s success on the musical charts have included hits such as “If Only You Knew,” “New Attitude,” “Stir It Up,” “Lady Marmalade,” and “When You Talk About Love.” She has sold over 50 million records worldwide.
Equally talented on the Broadway stage, in movies and on television, LaBelle has appeared in the movies “A Soldier’s Story” and “Beverly Hills Cop.” Her television credits include “A Different World,” “American Horror Story,” “Greenleaf” and “Star.” LaBelle was also a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars” and also on the reality competition “The Masked Singer.” In 1982, she appeared in the Broadway gospel musical “Your Arm’s Too Short to Box with God.”
Here are 10 additional facts about LaBelle that you may not know ahead of Friday’s show.
1. In 2019, LaBelle had a street named after her in Philadelphia called Patti LaBelle Way.
2 The New York Times called LaBelle one of three of “America’s Most Beloved Divas” in good company with Dolly Parton and Barbra Streisand.
3. Trusted as a wonderful caregiver, LaBelle is Mariah Carey’s godmother and godmother of Cyndi Lauper’s son, Declyn.
4. Her biography, “Don’t Block the Blessings,” had a several weeks’ run on the top of The New York Times best-seller list.
5. LaBelle has also written the diabetic cookbook “LaBelle Cuisine: Recipes to Sing About” and “Recipes for the Good Life.”
6. Cindy Birdsong, who went on to join the Supremes, was a member of the Ordettes, a group formed by LaBelle in 1960.
7. When Aretha Franklin died in 2018, Fox News announced her death with a photo of Patti LaBelle onscreen instead.
8. LaBelle was quickly rushed off stage during her Christmas concert in Milwaukee in 2022 after a bomb threat forced evacuation of the theater.
9. She was once engaged to Otis Williams of The Temptations.
10. She passed out on stage in New York City in 1995 and was diagnosed with diabetes.
Standard admission tickets range in price from $69 to $99 and can be purchased online at MGMSpringfield.com.
