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Saturday's Internet Edition, July 31, 2010.
RM rocks with The Diamonds ETC concert
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Photo by Andrew Greene
The Diamonds return to Rancho Murieta for a July 10 ETC concert at Lake Clementia amphitheater to perform old-fashioned rock and roll hits from the 50’s and 60’s.
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By Andrew Greene
River Valley Times Staff
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Old-fashioned rock and roll returned to Lake Clementia amphitheater in Rancho Murieta on the evening of July 10, as The Diamonds sang many of the hits that made the original members of the group popular in the late 50’s and early 60’s. The concert was one of many put on by ETC (Entertainment, Theater and Culture of RM).
The vocal foursome brought the audience members along on a musical journey featuring stops at the group’s own hits from the Billboard Charts such as “Why do Fools Fall in Love,” “Little Darlin’” and “The Stroll.”
The audience was also treated to well-known tunes made famous by the Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, the Four Freshmen, Bobby Darin and others. Many of the songs performed led into medleys honoring past artists of the era.
Attendees were able to take advantage of a number of classic love songs such as the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” to slow dance with their spouses, partners or children. The braver in the audience also enjoyed twisting and strolling during the more up-tempo numbers.
One of the highlights of the concert was when the group sang the Beach Boy hit “In My Room.” The entire song was performed a cappella.
RM residents and their guests, dancing and singing throughout, seemed to enjoy the ETC show. Gillian Smith said she had been to a number of the group’s concerts. “After I saw The Diamonds in Reno, I was instrumental in them coming here three years ago, and I’m so happy that they’re here now for an encore,” said Smith.
John Holm concurred. “We’re from this era and are loving it,” he said. Holm’s wife Lee added, “I used to teach music, and we used to sing many of these songs.”
Halfway through the concert the group took a break to meet the fans and autograph music compact discs of live concerts. Cate Schiller, 8, is the granddaughter of Jim and Julie Pryor and said she was happy to be at the show. “I just met Jerry Diamond. Also, I’ve really liked the dancing.” Her 11-year-old brother Wilson agreed, saying he had fun dancing.
The Diamonds, who have had 16 songs on the Billboard Chart and numerous lineup changes over the years, first played at an ETC concert in RM in 2007. This year’s performance closed out a summer day in which the temperature hovered near triple digits for hours. Many of the families arrived early to have picnics and take pleasure in the breeze and the surroundings.
Before the ETC concert, a dozen audience members honed their East Coast Swing dancing skills during lessons taught by Jeanne Iben, a dance instructor at Studio 16 in RM.
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