As the lights dimmed and audience members quieted, The Shirelles graced the stage with elegant black-and-silver sparkling dresses. After its eight-piece band fast-forwarded through a medley of the group’s hits, perennial Shirelle Beverly Lee and company grooved into Having a Party.

The crowd of 500 was enticed to clap the beat while the three divas did a little hip-shake thing to keep time with the music. The band was tight, not missing a beat, playing its instruments at a level that would not drown out the harmonious trio.

The Shirelles kept in direct communication with the crowd throughout the show. Between songs, The Shirelles asked the audience who the one person was in their childhood household that took all the fun out of everything, setting up a nice intro for the classic Mama Said. After closing the number with a fancy curtsy, the ladies went back to fooling with the crowd.

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The amount of snapping and twirling gave the impression that The Shirelles came to have a good time. But it was no act for the group or the crowd that found plenty of good times as they worked together to make entertainment.

When the trio prepared to go into I Met Him On a Sunday, it invited six men to join them in singing about lying women. The group decided to change the lyrics to I met her on a Sunday to accommodate the guys.

One sang I met her on a Sunday while another fellow sang, I called her on a Tuesday. The next man in line added, I dated her on a Wednesday, as the following guy crooned, I kissed her on a Thursday. The last guy, whom the Shirelles appropriately dubbed Ready Freddie since he was dressed like a hep-cat of the 60s, sang, I didn’t do nothing with her on a Saturday, implying false innocence.

The crowd could not help stomping its feet or clapping to the catchy grooves of The Shirelles. A few crowd members danced in the aisles to let loose some of the energy the group had culminated at Shryock.

Some fans were overheard saying they were amazed that a group of The Shirelles’ magnitude was at Shryock and what a nice, intimate setting Shryock offered.

A Shirelles version of Happy Birthday was dedicated to a lucky crowd member who had two good things (The Shirelles and a birthday) going Saturday night.

Afterward, Lee declared that the crowd should celebrate life because God is so good. She then invited five little girls on stage to perform Soldier Boy, which she dedicated to prisoners of war and men who remain missing in action. The Shirelles held hands with the children and kicked their legs in the air like a Las Vegas showgirl act. After the kids returned to their seats, Lee reminded the crowd the girls could be the next Shirelles.

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After two hours of performing with a brief 15-minute intermission, The Shirelles encored with a flaming rendition of Chuck Berry’s classic Johnny B. Goode. The crowd, magnetized by the Goode vibes, stood up and clapped throughout the entire song that closed out the night.

The Shirelles put on a performance that will not be forgotten by those who attended. The music and the emotion in it has stood the test of time. After 35 years, the Shirelles have not tarnished a bit. They proved it to Carbondale as they shined through their first performance since being inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in January.