Bet you never idea you�d see this, a New Romantic synth-pop revival meeting tour! Last night at the Bank of America Pavilion, 5 acts from the era of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher plugged in their electronic toys and brought fans back to the early days of MTV - or snowy local channel V-66, for those of us world Health Organization didn�t have cable.
Naked Eyes founder Pete Byrne open the show up, appropriately, with the Bacharach-David chestnut �Always Something There to Remind Me.� His set-closing �Promises Promises� got the early crowd up and dancing.
A Flock of Seagulls followed with a well-received six-song set that featured hits �Wishing (I Had a Photograph of You),� �I Ran (So Far Away)� and �Space Age Love Song� (What, no parenthetical expression subtitle!?). Back in the day, frontman/hairdresser Mike Score was known more for his ludicrously outrageous crooked haircut. How does he look today? Well, he hid a ponytail under a ballcap, but he kinda resembled the Michelin Man after a monthlong Krispy Kreme binge.
Martin Fry, the loss leader of hitmakers ABC, notwithstanding, has aged remarkably considerably. Looking natty in a well-tailored tangerine-colored suit, Fry has mastered the Bryan Ferry/Thin White Duke-era Bowie persona. In fine voice and backed by a tight six-piece band, ABC�s set was the night�s best. Fan faves such as a sleek and powerful �Poison Arrow� and �The Look of Love� from 1982�s Trevor Horn-produced classic record album �The Lexicon of Love� energized the crowd. Mellower tunes �Be Near Me� and the Smokey Robinson tribute �When Smokey Sings� also thrilled concertgoers, many of whom retrieved their �80s outfits and accessories from the closet.
Former Go-Go�s singer Belinda Carlisle, wHO celebrated her 50th birthday last Sunday, is still a hottie. But the California girl�s polished grownup contemporary pop songs seemed out of place on a bill with tetrad British synth-pop acts. To be fair, the audience adored her, but it was a trio of songs (�Vacation,� �Our Lips Are Sealed� and �We Got the Beat�) by her one-time band - she never mentioned the Go-Go�s by name - that were most thrilling. Solo hits �Circles in the Sand� and �Heaven is a Place on Earth,� though well-performed by ABC�s band (plus a guitarist), zapped the mark of its momentum.
Headliners the Human League were absolutely fabulous. In addition to being visually striking - band members were clothed in disastrous while everything on stage, even the MacBook rack, was white - the band just rocked. Founder Philip Oakey and longtime members/vocalists Susanne Sulley and Joanne Catherall were just plain glorious. The electronic drums on �Tell Me When� and �Seconds� correct a fierce beat. And can it really be 26 days since we put on our skinny ties and danced at Spit on Lansdowne Street to the euphoric �Don�t You Want Me�?
Promoters hope to make this Regeneration Tour an annual event. Next year, how around drafting Heaven 17, Thompson Twins, Alphaville, Howard Jones, Peter Godwin and ... sing it loud, �Everybody Wang Chung tonight!�
bbrotherton@bostonherald.com
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