Retro Futura Tour
Best Buy
Theater, NYC
August 21,
2014
Picture it – 1987
and two 15 year old, New Wave-obsessed boys from New Milford, Connecticut are
trying to concoct a way to get to Radio City Music Hall in NYC to catch the
Thomson Twins on their Close to the Bone
tour. Having missed the group the last time they came to CT in 1985, the boys
devised every possible scenario that would get them to this show but not matter
what they tried, the answer from their parents was the same – NO – and their
efforts were thwarted. Forced to endure the agony of defeat, the boys swore to
each other, “next time dude. We will catch them on the next tour.”
I was one of
those boys but little did I know that by the time ‘the next time’ came around,
I would be 42 years old!
In early 2014,
with the announcement of Tom Bailey joining the Retro Futura Tour, I was
excited yet slightly cautious by these prospects – would this taint the legacy,
the mystery of the Thompson Twins that had built up over the ensuing decades?
Or could this signal the start of a new chapter in their story? Or at least Tom
Bailey’s story as both Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway have retired from performing.
A package tour
is an odd thing – a nostalgia trip on one hand while on the other, a possible reintroduction
to a band. While Retro Futura packed in five acts, expect fairly short sets from
all the acts. It was a wise move then to have a house band accompany the first
three acts: Katrina (sans the Waves), China Crisis and the mighty Midge Ure.
Katrina and China Crisis compiled their hits into energetic 20 minute sets. As
fine as those acts were, Midge Ure upped the game considerably with his impressive
guitar skills and still-powerful voice. Ure tore into his short set with aplomb
– Hymn, Vienna and the classic Dancing
with Tears in My Eyes were all delivered with passion and fire.
After Midge
Ure’s explosive set, the house band excited and the stage was stripped bare to
make room for Howard Jones and his band. The new stage set had an 80’s minimal vibe
– complete with electronic drums with light-up neon cymbals, a keytar and racks
of flashing electronic lights behind the keyboard. It almost looked like a
backdrop from the movie Tron. But
aside from these visual flourishes and the fact that the songs were from his
classic 80’s period, Jones incorporated plenty of arrangement changes – and
killer keyboard breakdowns – to keep things fresh for his very vocal fans who
sang along to every song.
Throughout his
set, Jones was the charismatic front-man chatting up the crowd and calling out
for audience participation. Highlights included the new grooves added to the
set opener Like to Get to Know You Well
and the reworked Things Can Only Get
Better which featured a funky clavinet solo that would have made Stevie
Wonder proud and a pounding techno reprise at the end of the song.
One of the
main criticisms that used to be leveled at musicians from the New Wave era was
that the music was devoid of feeling and simply programmed into a keyboard.
Jones dispelled that notion straight away and delivered a high-energy set full
of classic songs and tremendous musicianship.
Between Midge
Ure’s unrepentant rocking and Howard Jones turning the Best Buy Theater into a
New Wave-themed rave, the question emerged – how would Tom Bailey compete with
that? Especially after returning to the live music fray only DAYS before this
show!
Taking the
stage to the instrumental backing tracks of the Thompson Twins’ We Are Detective, Bailey and his
all-female backing band – who have been affectionately dubbed “The Sisters of
Mercy” after another Thompson Twins song – launched into a buoyant version of In The Name of Love, which set the tone
for the next 45 minutes as love was certainly in the air in Times Square.
While the
audience happily danced here and there, a majority of the crowd seemed
transfixed on Bailey himself, almost shocked that they were actually watching
him perform these classic gems live after 27 years away. Early on in the set,
Bailey, who looked shocked and moved by the loud reception, told the crowd, “I
can’t believe this – this is amazing; just look at you all!” It was a warm and
beautiful moment between band and performer and the crowd made sure to let
Bailey know that the feeling was mutual.
His short set
was comprised of all the expected hits but Bailey made sure to pepper in a few
surprises such as the Middle-Eastern-sounding bridge during In The Name of Love, the additional
versus added to If You Were Here, a
stomping rendition of Lies, and a reworked
King For a Day which was much slower
in tempo than the original hit. This slower tempo and more somber delivery actually
brought out the bitter-sweet quality of the lyrics which tended to get
overshadowed in the original’s synth-pop groove.
Shifting between
the guitar, keyboards and electronic percussion, Bailey worked the stage like a
seasoned pro that never left the game. Age has not touched his voice and he has
lost none of his range or unique vocal quality. And let’s not forget the
previously mentioned “Sisters of Mercy” - keyboardists Angie Pollack and Amanda
Kramer and drummer Emily Dolan Davies - who made the perfect backing band.
Twenty-seven
years is an almost unspeakable amount of time to step away from the limelight.
Judging from the response to his return to the stage, Thomson Twins’ Tom Bailey
has an eager audience waiting for more. He has always retained his air of
mystery so whatever is in the cards will remain in the cards until he chooses
to reveal his hand. Let’s hope that whatever it is, it happens soon.
#tombailey #retrofuturatour #thompsontwins #howardjones #midgeure
