It was an emotional and frightening time Sunday for Florence LaRue, the lone remaining original member of The 5th Dimension. A bomb scare grounded her flight to Florida.
The group performed Monday in the New Covenant United Methodist Church to a soldout crowd and LaRue said she was happy, “to be singing in the house of the Lord.” The famed Grammy-winning group in the ‘60s and ‘70s will perform two more shows at 5 and 8 on Wednesday night.
LaRue left Los Angeles Sunday on a Delta Airlines flight to Florida but it never made it. The flight was diverted to Texas over a “security concern.” Published reports said it was a “credible” bomb threat.
LaRue, 70, was shaken by the incident and spoke about it on stage. “Being on that plane Sunday, taught me a valuable lesson – I’m not afraid to die,” she said in a strong, heartfelt voice while standing under a large cross on the altar that served as a stage. “I’m not ready to die and I don’t want to die, but I’m not afraid and I’m not going to be terrorized. I’m going to live my life with trust in God.”
It was a spiritual moment in a musical concert that reflected the values of peace and love during the era of the Vietnam War and domestic violence that marked the time of the 5th Dimension’s golden hits.
“That was a time when we all wanted peace and love,” LaRue said. “Today, we still want it and need it and in this new year, we should all pray for peace and love.”
With those words, LaRue and other members of the 5th Dimension began singing, “Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In.”
Soon, the audience was up on its feet singing along, and waving hands in the air. It was one of the rare concert moments, in light of recent events, where the reality of terrorism, life and death in today’s world transcended the show.
The current version of the 5th Dimension features LaRue along with Willie Williams, Leonard Tucker, Patrice Morris and Floyd Smith. Gone are original members Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis Jr., Lamonte McLemore and Ron Towson.
This is the group’s 50th anniversary and LaRue has lived through it all. “Thank you for all the support over the years and it means a lot to be singing for you she said.”
All five singers were in top form. “Do you remember where you were in 1965?” LaRue asked. “This is where we were with the 5th Dimension.” Then they started singing “Up Up and Away,” one of the group’s breakthrough hits, written by Jimmy Webb.
Then came another standard, “Wedding Bell Blues,” written by Laura Nyro, who penned a handful of 5th Dimension hits. The list includes: “Sweet Blindness” and “Stoned Soul Picnic.” The current 5th Dimension turned that song into a kind of dance/jazz fusion number with a little bit of rap tossed in for good measure.
Other members of the group had a chance to shine. Lenard Tucker took a powerful, soulful turn on the Johnny Maestro/Brooklyn Bridge number, “Worst That Could Happen.” Willie Williams was up to the task with as stellar vocal on “MacArthur Park.” And Patrice Morris had some disco fun on the rollicking, “It’s Raining Men.”
Members of the audience also had fun on stage.
Mike Burke went up and did some dancing with LaRue. Then came Rich Harlan, who happened to graduate from the same Philadelphia-area high school as Larue did in 1960.
The old classmates stood side-by-side on stage and sang the alma mater.
“She was a great singer then and she’s great now,” Harlan said later. LaRue said, “I can’t believe I remember those words from about 100 years ago.”
LaRue brought the house down with two dynamic songs. She would have made Lena Horne proud on “Stormy Weather,” and then offered a poignant “One Less Bell to Answer,” as she finished the song in tears.
The current version of the 5th Dimension proved it can touch the hearts and memories of its fans.
“I can still relate to their music,” said Villager Sharon Currie. “When they sing, “Aquarius,” it brings back all those feelings from that time.”
“They are a classy group,” added Villager Skip Bryan. “I think they were a little more upscale and refined than a lot of the rock groups from the ‘60s. They didn’t need any gimmicks. They have great voices.”
