Bill Medley has been living with “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” for more than sixty years, not just performing it but carrying it forward across every era and format shift, and eventually carrying it alone after Bobby Hatfield’s death in 2003. That song, widely cited as “the most played song in radio history,” is the kind of anchor that defines everything before and after it. On February 4, Medley and his current partner Bucky Heard bring the Lovin’ Feelin’ Farewell Tour to Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs for what they’ve called, honestly and without sentiment, the goodbye.
About the Show
The tour’s subtitle is “Till the Wheels Fall Off,” which reads as both warning and promise. The Righteous Brothers began in 1962 in Southern California, emerging from regional groups the Paramours and the Variations, and before they had their first national hit, they were already opening for the Beatles and the Rolling Stones on their inaugural American tours. Their association with producer Phil Spector produced “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” one of the definitive recordings of the Wall of Sound era and widely cited as the most played song in radio history.
Medley, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Billy Joel, holds a Grammy, Oscar, Golden Globe, and American Music Award, and has sung on the soundtracks or performed theme songs for 33 movies and TV shows. His baritone arrives already loaded with memory before he sings a note. Hatfield’s sudden death in November 2003 could have closed the book on the Righteous Brothers. Instead, Medley kept going, partnering with Bucky Heard, an Alabama native who performed with Andy Williams and Glen Campbell, earned recognition as “Male Vocalist of the Year,” and of whom Medley has said: “He fits The Righteous Brothers live performance show perfectly.”
The Saratoga Springs set draws from across the catalog: “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” “Unchained Melody,” “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” “Soul and Inspiration,” “Ebb Tide,” and “Rock and Roll Heaven,” the songs that defined blue-eyed soul and became fixtures of American film and television without ever really going away.
Venue & Logistics
Universal Preservation Hall, a 1,100-seat theater at 25 Washington St in Saratoga Springs, is a different kind of room than the casino showrooms where legacy acts often land. The show is Thursday, February 4, at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets
No ticket price was available from sources at the time of publication. Tickets are available through the Proctors Collaborative. Buy tickets