ASHLAND — A vocal quintet dressed in purple suits had a near capacity crowd at the Paramount Arts Center grooving to the Motown sound Tuesday evening as The Temptations electrified their audience from the moment they hit the stage with an uptempo rendition of “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You.”

Ushers danced in the aisles as those in the back row of the balcony clapped in rhythm to the beat and background provided by The Temptations’ 10-piece horn section, drums, guitar, bass and two keyboards. The five well-dressed men at the front of the stage delivered exactly what the crowd came for, complete with synchronized dance moves and a sound that spanned decades of rock and roll history.

The polished professionals kept their audience’s energy level near peak by rolling into renditions of “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” and “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” which sounded as fresh this week as when the songs were originally recorded.

Many in the pre-show crowd said they were surprised at the number of younger members of the audience who attended Tuesday’s Temptations performance, and most agreed they were waiting anxiously to hear the band perform one song in particular.

“My Girl, of course,” said Ginnie Pride of South Point, a fan of the band for “40-some years” who was waiting to see them perform in concert for the fourth time in her life.

“My Girl — That’s it! That’s my song,” said Cindy Carter of Ashland, with agreement from concert companion Virginia Martin. “That’s a song for the ladies.”

Perhaps proving Carter’s point, many of the men in the audience including Alan Douglas of Ashland cited “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” as their personal favorite Temptations tune.

“My Girl,” was also the song of choice for Alice and Alicia Johnson of Ashland, as well as the No. 1 song for Pride, Alan Douglas of Ashland, Ken and Chris Tygrett of Charleston and countless others.

Terri Booth of Huntington also cited “My Girl” as a favorite, along with “Just My Imagination,” although she and her companions were singing “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” in the car on their way to the show. Booth’s brother Randy Dunn got her the Temptations tickets as a birthday gift, saying “I know her taste in music.”

Also from Huntington, Mark Griffith and Linda Fulton were all smiles as they waited for a chance to meet the band.

“She grew up with them and loved them,” Griffith said, adding his personal appreciation for the Paramount Arts Center and the outstanding performances the venue continues to provide local audiences.

David Karle of Chesapeake attended the show with his daughter Francesca and friend Josh Chapman. Karle said he is a “lifetime fan” of the band.

“I grew up with them in front of the bathroom mirror being one of them,” he said, citing “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” as the song he most wanted to hear during the Tuesday show. Karle credited a movie based on the band for introducing their music to an entirely new fan base.

“I think that brought them to the limelight for a lot of young people,” he said.

If one of the performer’s dance moves seemed a bit off during the show, Karle may have been to blame.

“I stepped on the big guy’s toes,” he said, recalling an incident during a brief meeting with the band backstage. “I humbly apologized.”

Paramount Arts Center staff members said they did have one unpleasant surprise Tuesday when they learned a woman from West Virginia had paid $930 for two seats would have cost $49 each at their box office. The woman bought the tickets through an online ticket provider called Absolute Tickets, they said, and had been promised an upgrade in seating. The Temptations fan wasn’t complaining about the cost, staff members said, and only approached Paramount workers to find out about the seat upgrade promised by the online ticket vendor.

After being informed about the situation and seeing the woman’s receipt, staff members found a pair of seats at a table next to the stage for the couple. Upset about the situation, a PAC staff member found a telephone number and called the owner/operator of Absolute Tickets, a man who identified himself only as Gary, to criticize the incredible markup in ticket cost.

“He put me on hold and never came back,” the staff member said, later adding this is not the first time they have heard of an unbelievable increase in ticket prices “but it is the worst.”