Quartet performs full spectrum of Motown and beyond

It’s been six years since Cush Roberts and his Motown tribute quartet performed on a local stage.

Finding the right room has been a tough task since the Boardwalk hotel closed in 2006, ending Spectrum’s Strip headlining days.

Then came The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and its Troesh Studio Theater. With a maximum capacity of 250, it’s just the right kind of room for a Spectrum show, Roberts says.

“It’s not their big room, and we thought that would be a more suitable homecoming,” Roberts says.

Backed by a 13-piece orchestra, the Spectrum quartet will perform a Motown and R&B tribute at 7 p.m. Saturday .

“Since the Boardwalk closed, we’ve only done corporate dates,” Roberts says. “This will be our first public appearance. We’re having a very good response. We probably wouldn’t be able to fill the 2,000-seat theater yet, but we hope to build up to that in Las Vegas.”

The group has had opportunities to perform locally since 2006, but it didn’t have the backing of a large sponsor. The band members also didn’t want to get into the lounge circuit. Ideally, they would like to do shows in smaller rooms, such as the Troesh Studio Theater.

Roberts formed Spectrum in 1995, appearing in tribute shows along the Strip, including “American Superstars” and “Legends in Concert.” The band’s style matches that of the classic Motown group, such as the Four Tops. The quartet also shows its versatility by doing material from 15 to 20 groups of the Motown era, Roberts says. For instance, Spectrum will do some material from the Stylistics, a group that was not on the Motown label. But many people think they were, he says.

If the show goes well, Roberts says, Spectrum will schedule additional performances at The Smith Center. For ticket information, call the box office, 749-2000, or visit spectrumsings.com.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@review journal.com or 702-380-4564. Follow @StripSonya on Twitter.