Hello Friends!
It's been awhile since I started a thread, but after the amazing time I had last night at a Carpenters' tribute concert (Clermont Performing Arts Center, Clermont, Florida), I felt compelled to share the information here as well as my completely positive impressions. Honestly, I was BLOWN AWAY! I have seen a couple of other tribute shows over the years, which were indeed quite good. But Top of the World (the name of the band) is in a league of their own, and I would highly recommend seeing them if they come anywhere near you. They have deservedly garnered many positive reviews. The capacity of the venue in Clermont is 1000, and the concert was sold out.
Top of the World plays around the United States (Top Of The World Carpenters Tribute Band | Carpenters Tribute Band featuring Debbie Taylor: Top Of The World). It features Debbie Taylor as the lead singer and co-creator of the group, along with her business partner Paul Stewart (who also plays guitar and keyboards), as well as six other bandmates/backup singers, each of whom is fantastic! They strictly adhere to Richard's original arrangements.
Taylor's voice is clearly reminiscent of Karen's and she expertly performs the classic Carpenters' hits with ease, emotion, and esteem, and includes many of Karen's vocal nuances. She makes a concerted effort to give backstories of individual songs (We've Only Just Begun, written by Paul Williams, originally noticed by Richard in a bank commercial; Karen's first take of "Superstar" being what was recorded, etc.). She lovingly compliments Karen and Richard throughout. A nice touch is an expertly presented video/slideshow that accompanies the songs.
In the concert I saw, they did about a 21-song set: ~1 hour, half-hour intermission, then ~1 hour. Highlights included a prolonged version of "This Masquerade," which allowed each musician and backup singer a solo in which to shine. And shine they did... Another highlight was the intimate, acoustic performance of Karen's favorite song, "I Need to Be in Love" (and mentioned as such by Taylor), featuring Taylor and Stewart (on guitar). They did a surprise "Only Yesterday"/"Sing" medley, and Taylor often asked the audience to sing along and clap their hands.
Here is the setlist from my memory, NOT in the exact order:
Merchandise was available for sale in the lobby. And to make a fantastic evening even better, Taylor did a meet and greet afterward. Of course, I had to meet her! She was so appreciative and gracious as she spoke with me and others, autographing CDs and taking pictures. One of the many sweet things Taylor said from the stage was that we should continue to share Carpenters music with young people so that it lives on. What a class act! What a tremendous tribute!
It's been awhile since I started a thread, but after the amazing time I had last night at a Carpenters' tribute concert (Clermont Performing Arts Center, Clermont, Florida), I felt compelled to share the information here as well as my completely positive impressions. Honestly, I was BLOWN AWAY! I have seen a couple of other tribute shows over the years, which were indeed quite good. But Top of the World (the name of the band) is in a league of their own, and I would highly recommend seeing them if they come anywhere near you. They have deservedly garnered many positive reviews. The capacity of the venue in Clermont is 1000, and the concert was sold out.
Top of the World plays around the United States (Top Of The World Carpenters Tribute Band | Carpenters Tribute Band featuring Debbie Taylor: Top Of The World). It features Debbie Taylor as the lead singer and co-creator of the group, along with her business partner Paul Stewart (who also plays guitar and keyboards), as well as six other bandmates/backup singers, each of whom is fantastic! They strictly adhere to Richard's original arrangements.
Taylor's voice is clearly reminiscent of Karen's and she expertly performs the classic Carpenters' hits with ease, emotion, and esteem, and includes many of Karen's vocal nuances. She makes a concerted effort to give backstories of individual songs (We've Only Just Begun, written by Paul Williams, originally noticed by Richard in a bank commercial; Karen's first take of "Superstar" being what was recorded, etc.). She lovingly compliments Karen and Richard throughout. A nice touch is an expertly presented video/slideshow that accompanies the songs.
In the concert I saw, they did about a 21-song set: ~1 hour, half-hour intermission, then ~1 hour. Highlights included a prolonged version of "This Masquerade," which allowed each musician and backup singer a solo in which to shine. And shine they did... Another highlight was the intimate, acoustic performance of Karen's favorite song, "I Need to Be in Love" (and mentioned as such by Taylor), featuring Taylor and Stewart (on guitar). They did a surprise "Only Yesterday"/"Sing" medley, and Taylor often asked the audience to sing along and clap their hands.
Here is the setlist from my memory, NOT in the exact order:
- Ticket to Ride
- Close to You
- We've Only Just Begun
- For All We Know
- Rainy Days and Mondays
- Superstar
- Bless the Beasts and the Children
- Hurting Each Other
- It's Going to Take Some Time
- Goodbye to Love
- Top of the World
- I Won't Last a Day Without You
- Sing
- Yesterday Once More
- This Masquerade
- Please Mr. Postman
- Only Yesterday
- There's a Kind of Hush
- I Need to Be in Love
- A Song for You
- The Rainbow Connection
Merchandise was available for sale in the lobby. And to make a fantastic evening even better, Taylor did a meet and greet afterward. Of course, I had to meet her! She was so appreciative and gracious as she spoke with me and others, autographing CDs and taking pictures. One of the many sweet things Taylor said from the stage was that we should continue to share Carpenters music with young people so that it lives on. What a class act! What a tremendous tribute!
Last edited:
