When I saw a woman — older than me — constantly bopping up, down, and backward in her seat in front of me, I knew it was going to be a unique evening.

It certainly was. Not for the surface, but for the underlying meaning.

This was a step back in time in more ways than one. There were plenty of real and genuine moments and it was unlike any other concert.

It was a night with the Happy Together Tour, begun 17 years ago as a collection of recording artists and bands that made their mark in the ‘60s with a sprinkling of some of them in the ‘70s. There are a handful of individual members still active, all of whom are nearing or past the 80-year mark.

There was 83-year-old Gary Puckett, referred to as the group’s elder statesman who can’t hit his signature high notes like he did nearly 60 years ago, and rightfully so; Pennsylvania’s own The Vogues; The Fortunes; The Association; The Troggs; and the Cowsills.

Ron Dante, who was the voice behind the Archies’ “Sugar, Sugar” hit, and Jason Scheff, former guitarist from Chicago, rounded out the lineup. If you’re a self-proclaimed ‘60s and ‘70s song aficionado like me, you may remember Dante was the lead singer of the Cufflinks’ hit “Tracy.”

Puckett was among several who encouraged the audience to sing the lyrics.

The artists and bands composed those simple, short songs that detailed everyday encounters.

Topping it off was the recorded voice of Shadoe Stevens — he gained fame with “American Top 40” from 1988-95 — who provided a brief background of each performer before he introduced them.

This format wasn’t like your typical concert. Instead, it looked more like a telethon with each performance usually doing a four-song snippet before they left the stage.

When I watched another version of it on YouTube, the lineup — that began with the Cowsills — and everything else was exactly the same, even the comments from the performers.

However, that didn’t matter.

What was important was that the white- and silver-haired audience rekindled memories from their youth. Those memories were ignited again by the songs that shaped their lives and united them with their eventual soulmate.

It took them back to an era when they spun 45s, used a hairbrush for a microphone, and played plenty of air guitar, an air synthesizer, and air drums.

This concert was truly dominated by a senior crowd, as I didn’t see the typical band of 20-some-year-olds who attend concerts for a night out and to see who can outdrink the other. Any sign of alcohol definitely wasn’t noticeable.

It was reinforced by the boppin’ lady in front of me and the couple sitting to my right that sang nearly every song together. In fact, most of the audience reiterated the lyrics to every song.

During intermission, there was the anticipated line for the bathroom that normally is part of a senior citizen checklist. But, more importantly, was the packs of men and women together reminiscing about the songs, the performers, and their pasts.

The acts played their part as well, ingesting humor only a 60-plus-year-old can appreciate.

Troy Elich, lead singer of the Vogues, noted the group was “tired” after singing three songs.

Chris Britton, founding 84-year-old member of the Troggs, reminded the audience how their song “Love Is All Around” was a hit in 1964 and was again in 2003 as a track from the movie “Love Actually.”

“That was a long time ago in 1967,” quipped Britton. “In fact, 2003 was a long time ago, too.”

This was a night where you left with a good feeling and those feel-good vibes of love and romance reverberated for a while. You stepped back into the time machine when life seemed a lot simpler and Saturday night was date night.

It was a night when the audience and the performers were truly “happy together.”

Email Jeff Moeller at tneditor@tnonline.com