Legendary Drifters a No-Show for Kent Stage on Sunday

Concertgoers who were expecting to hear Save the Last Dance for Me and There Goes My Baby on Sunday night at the Kent Stage might have been humming Show Me the Way to Go Home instead. The Legendary Drifters were a no-show for their scheduled gig at the Kent venue.

Bob Klaus of WNIR radio is a regular patron of the Kent Stage, and he was looking forward to hearing some familiar oldies Sunday evening.

“We were told that the Drifters had been incommunicado all day long and they were a no-show as of 7:50 p.m., so it was not looking good for Sunday’s show,” Klaus said. “I bumped into (Kent Stage owner) Tom Simpson, who was pacing in the back.”

Simpson told the crowd of about 150 that he had not heard from the band or their agent all Sunday afternoon. “I also informed them that I would never book the band again,” Simpson said, which received a round of applause.

Simpson still held out hope for a last-minute solution. “I imagine that Tom has seen some remarkable things in his career, including bands setting up in about 10 minutes, so I think he was hoping the show would go on,” Klaus added.

The Legendary Drifters group does not include any of the members of the two main original Drifters line-ups, though their production company website states the outfit features Hollywood Logan and Paul Rudy, long-time members of later touring incarnations.

As of Monday afternoon, Simpson still had received no explanation for the missed show, and declined to speculate on the group’s possible problems. Were they Up on the Roof or Under the Boardwalk?

Simpson paid cash refunds to all tickets buyers on Sunday night, and said he will send them $10 discount coupons for a future show. “People were very understanding,” Simpson added.

Perhaps this is one concert that was just destined not to happen. The Legendary Drifters were originally booked at the Kent Stage for last September, but that show was rescheduled for February. Another rescheduling moved the show to June.

“In nine and a half years, this is the first time this has happened to us,” Simpson explained. “And I hope it’s the last time.”