Music fans sail on down the line to bergenPAC in Englewood, NJ this Friday, February 6, 2026 evening for a concert by the Grammy-winning funk/soul group, The Commodores.
Inside the BergenPAC auditorium, executive director Alexander Diaz welcomes the crowd before members of The Mean Machine backup band — keyboardist Maurice Gregory, bassist Tyron Stanton, drummer “Scott” Kay, and keyboardist/musical director Thomas Dawson — take the stage along with The Commodores featuring vocalists Cody Orange and Brent Carter, guitarist/vocalist Colin Orange, and founding member William “WAK” King on trumpet, guitar, keyboard, and vocals.
Opening with a medley featuring the driving “Right Here’n Now,” William King instructs, “Throw your hands up!” and concertgoers respond in kind.
Segueing into the rhythmic “Sexy Lady,” Colin Orange plays a distorted guitar solo and the entire group chants “Wild Thing” as the medley morphs into the funky “I Feel Sanctified” where The Commodores energetically move to the groove as they sing and play.
The crowd reacts with enthusiastic cheers and applause and Brent Carter inquires, “How is everybody doing out there tonight?” After announcing, “This is our first show of the year and we’re gonna party tonight!” he and the band slide into a smooth version of The Commodores’ 1977 smash, “Easy.”
Music lovers sing along with Carter as he croons, “That’s why I’m easy/Easy like Sunday morning,” and Colin Orange renders a funky guitar solo on this R&B/soul ballad.
King tells a story about how, after The Commodores started their band as college students, they were encouraged by singer Kenny Rogers to “record a country-western song.”
Five-part vocals are featured on the group’s 1979 country/soul hit, “Sail On,” before Cody Orange leads the audience in singing along on the tune’s appealing “Sail on/honey/Good times never felt so good” refrain under colored lights.
Concertgoers hoot and holler and Colin Orange is featured playing acoustic guitar on a charming version of the ballad, “Oh No.”
King introduces a medley of “some of the first songs we ever recorded.” Kicking off with “Just to Be Close to You,” Brent Carter and Cody Orange trade off singing lead as the group executes dance steps and hand motions on this rhythmic 6/8 Motown ballad.
Continuing with the R&B ballad, “Zoom,” Carter stands center stage and soulfully sings, “Oh, zoom/I’d like to fly far away from here.”
The medley concludes with the upbeat “Sweet Love,” where Cody Orange asks, “Englewood, NJ, how’s everybody feeling so far?” prior to getting concertgoers on their feet, bouncing with their hands in the air, and energetically singing along on the song’s “Oh-oh-oh-oh, sweet love” chorus under kaleidoscopic lights.
Moving on to a number from the 1978 movie, Thank God It’s Friday, Colin Orange handles the lead on “Too Hot Ta Trot.”
Toes tap and music lovers move to the groove at their seats on this up-tempo funk tune which also features William King playing trumpet as drummer “Scott” Kay and bassist Tyron Stanton percolate underneath.
After King announces, “Here’s the song that put The Commodores on the map,” he plays keyboards on the group’s funky instrumental, “Machine Gun.” As the band grooves, King introduces the instrumentalists of The Mean Machine in addition to his fellow vocalists, pointing out twins Colin and Cody Orange as the sons of Commodores’ founding member, Walter Orange.
Brent Carter handles the lead on “Lady (You Bring Me Up)” and fans sing along to this 1981 disco/funk tune as the front men impress with their fancy footwork.
After the audience takes a moment to recognize the ensemble’s “original shining star,” William King, the band steps into “Still,” where Cody Orange croons, “Lady, morning’s just a moment away,” on the 1979 #1 hit before impressing with a long note that elicits hoots and hollers for this appealing ballad.
Carter sits on a stool as he sings “Three Times a Lady” and the crowd joins in on the song’s “You’re once, twice, three times a lady” refrain of this 1978 chart-topper.
All four Commodores dance center stage on “Nightshift” where Colin Orange and Brent Carter share the lead on this rhythmic 1985 R&B/soul hit. Audience members dance and happily join in singing along on the number’s “Gonna be some sweet sounds/Comin’ down on the night shift” chorus.
To conclude tonight’s show, The Commodores invite concertgoers to dance to their final number, “Brick House.” William King plays guitar as Cody Orange, Brent Carter, and Colin Orange sing and dance their way across the stage before concertgoers wave their hands in the air, shout “Yeah!” and scream to the undeniable groove of this 1977 funk tune.
Tyron Stanton contributes a funky bass solo and Cody Orange impresses with a percussion solo featuring electronic drums prior to asking, “Did you have a good time?” The crowd responds with cheers and applause as the music crescendos and The Commodores take bows stating, “We love you!” “God bless you,” and “Stay well,” prior to exiting the stage.
To learn more about The Commodores, please go to commodoreslive.com. For info on great upcoming programs at bergenPAC — including The Jacksons on February 21, Air Supply on March 13, Melissa Etheridge on April 10, and The Sugarhill Gang on April 17 — please click on bergenpac.org
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