EAST BOSTON, MA - Classic R&B recording artist Kool & The Gang delighted the jubilant crowd at Suffolk Downs on Saturday night with a 90-minute collection of the band’s greatest hits at the track’s “Commitment to Community” concert.

The concert was the culmination of the track’s 2009 “Commitment to Community” program celebrating individuals and organizations that make a positive difference in eight surrounding communities. Over the course of the summer, the track dedicated a Saturday to each community: Everett (June 13), Chelsea (June 20), Salem (July 11), Lynn (July 18), Winthrop (July 25), Revere (August 1), Saugus (August 8) and East Boston (August 22). All ticket sales for the show benefited organizations in the eight cities and towns recognized in the program. Organizations were given tickets to sell for their own fundraising purposes.

Kool & The Gang energized the enthusiastic crowd with favorites Ladies Night, Get Down On It, and Jungle Boogie, and showed its versatility with softer, romantic hits Joanna and Cherish. In keeping with the “Commitment to Community” theme of celebrating surrounding cities and towns, the performance was punctuated by a resounding rendition of the band’s all-time classic Celebration.

Special opening act was The Diversity Band representing ZUMIX of East Boston. ZUMIX is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) cultural organization dedicated to building community through music and the arts. The concert followed a full card of live racing.

Suffolk Downs boasts a rich musical history, which includes the final Boston-area appearance by the Beatles in 1966, performances by Aerosmith and the Jackson 5 in the 1970s, and a variety of shows and festivals in the last decade featuring acts such as Elvis Costello, Hootie and the Blowfish, the Goo Goo Dolls, and the Dropkick Murphys.