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 Berlin |
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Review and photos by Andy Argyrakis In the wake of Michael Jackson's passing, the glory days of MTV are being recalled like its 1984 all over again, which made the timing of The Regeneration Tour eerily ironic. But with all eyes glued to the TV or internet to catch the latest King of Pop gossip, plus the fact that neither of the acts on this tour scored a hit in ages, the Rosemont Theatre was far from packed on this particular Friday night.Though the numbers were meager, the fervency level of fans was equivalent to a full house and the intimate venue played well to a fairly enjoyable time capsule back to the decade of decadence. Leading the pack was the debonair Martin Fry and his latest incarnation of ABC, which in the wake of bands like The Killers and Kasabian, have experienced an unlikely (albeit niche) resurgence as of late. Nonetheless, the flamboyant front man strutted with as much confidence as when "The Look of Love" was the latest smash on the airwaves. In fact, the entire hour long set was a throwback to the new romantic movement, complete with the aforementioned sing-a-long, the equally enduring "Poison Arrow," plus other retro favorites like the soulful "When Smokey Sings" and the lounge-like "Be Near Me." Sure, there were moments of inexcusable cheese from twenty years ago, but at least ABC attempted to stay current to marginally successful degrees on the new indie album Traffic, though its handful of American hits were clearly the selling point to this soirée. Terri Nunn and her latest Berlin line-up were in even better shape both visually and vocally, coasting through a string of singles that had a surprising amount of staying power. Though everyone knows the group for the Top Gun monster ballad "Take My Breath Away" (poignantly dedicated to the late great Jackson), its Blondie-styled dance poppers were by far its best asset. Even arching towards 50, Nunn was still sensual in her punk-tinged delivery of "No More Words," "Sex (I'm AÉ.) and "The Metro." Though best known for the hokey call and response of "Everybody Have Fun Tonight/Everybody Wang Chung Tonight," the new wavers of the same name recalled a handful of less repetitive memories. "Dance Hall Days" and "To Live and Die In L.A." marked the top two keyboard-entrenched tunes presented, while the power popper "Let's Go!" was unavoidably dated. At face value, Cutting Crew could've been called the "one hit wonders" of the bill, but upon closer examination, the disposable ballad "I've Been In Love Before" brought back boring (but still top ten charting) memories. The undeniably catchy though ridiculously overplayed "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" was the band's only other true smash, but over twenty years past its fifteen minutes of fame, this half hour opening presentation was twice as long as it needed to be. But considering the evening ascended in stature and satisfaction, The Regeneration Tour presumably achieved its purpose, which was to flashback to the past in an era where the radio dial's even less desirable. |
 Berlin |
 Cutting Crew |
 ABC |
 Berlin |
 ABC |
 Wang Chung |
 Wang Chung |
 Berlin |
 Wang Chung |
 Cutting Crew |
 Berlin |