The Village People, August 8th, Deerfoot Inn and Casino
If you saw The Village People concert, you pretty much got what you expected. The six strutted onto stage in full costume and immediately launched into a series of disco era hits – original numbers like Macho Man, In The Navy and San Francisco along with covers like Don’t Leave Me This Way. The awesome Go West was sadly excluded from the set, even though the band teased it early on.
Vocally, cop Ray Simpson and Soldier Alex Briley carried the music, as has always been the case. They still have the chops to pull off the sound, and did a remarkable job. The band certainly had a great deal of energy, despite looking very much like they have had 30 years in the business. The choreography and music was horribly cheesy, but then, it’s a Village People concert, so that is what you pay to see. And pay people did, a healthy chunk of change for a show that wrapped up with YMCA at the 60-minute mark. An hour-long set is inexcusable for anyone, especially with the catalogue that The Village People has. That said, it seemed from the buzz in the room post show, most of those heading out into the casino afterwards had a good time. Sure, it was corny, but that’s what The Village People do best!
Jeff Martin, August 23rd, Stampede Casino
It’s a shame that since breaking up The Tea Party, Jeff Martin hasn’t achieved the same level of success solo that the band did. Approximately 250 people showed up for his Saturday night intimate, acoustic gig at the Big Sky Showroom. Fresh off the plane from his home in Ireland, Martin was accompanied by percussionist Wayne P. Sheehy and played acoustic versions of Tea Party songs as well as songs from his solo release Exile in the Kingdom and the song Line in the Sand from his upcoming album The Armada. Dressed as always in black, Martin kicked off the show with The Bazaar and filled his 90+ minute set with songs like Psychopomp, Save Me, and the goosebump-inducing rendition of Daniel Lanois’ The Messenger. As is a trademark, Martin interspersed his set with snippets of covers such as Lanois I Love You.
The thing that was apparent from watching Martin perform is how underrated of a guitar player he is. He brought the same level of intensity and richness to Tea Party trademarks like Requium and Release that the songs had with a full band. When the show took a bluesy turn with Black Snake Blues he absolutely tore the house down and worked the guitar like magic, the audience couldn’t help but be captivated by the master at work. It’s been two years since Jeff Martin last played Calgary, and he reminded the audience that it was two years too long. Hopefully he doesn’t wait so long to come back with his new project, and when he does, if you were a fan of The Tea Party, you need to see him, as Jeff Martin solo is as phenomenal an experience as The Tea Party was in their prime.
The Backstreet Boys, September 2nd, Saddledome
The Backstreet Boys brought an entirely different type of tour, in support of their current album Unbreakable, to the Calgary and Edmonton. Past gimmicks like pyrotechnics, elaborate staging, and hoverboards are a thing of the past, leaving the remaining members of the band, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, and A.J. Mclean (Kevin Richardson left the group in 2006) to entertain the approximately 9000 fans with just their talent.
That isn’t to say the show had no gimmicks. After a less than impressive showing by openers Girlicious, the band exploded onto stage in a boxing ring wearing robes and singing Larger Than Life before jumping into Everyone, both songs dedicated to their fans. Later, the boys played poker around a table while singing Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely. Once the ring was taken away, the staging was simple – a pair of risers with the backup band, a BSB logo backdrop and large screens on each side of the stage so that fans could shriek at the close ups of their favorite boy.
The boys are grown up now – three even sport tattoos! And their fan base has changed as well. While the days of selling out stadiums seems to be past, the mix of women in their 20’s who were once screaming teens, younger girls who weren’t alive when the band released their first CD, and (as a quick walk around the concourse showed) a lot of gay men – all cheered, clapped, and turned songs like I Want it That Way and Incomplete into massive sing-alongs. Songs now over a decade old like As Long As You Love Me and Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) had their arrangements redone to sound fresh.
Even without the spectacle of past shows, the boys put on a damn entertaining show. Each member seemed to be having the time of their life on stage, goofing off, giving shout outs, making cornball statements like “I wish we had time to give each one of you beautiful ladies a kiss”, or synching up for some impressive choreography, the show was a fun way to spend a couple of hours. The Backstreet Boys take a critical drumming, often by reporters who don’t even stay for the full show due to press deadlines. I did stay until the final strains of Shape of My Heart echoed through the arena for the finale, and can state with certainty, BSB’s still got it.
