The Nostalgia Tour Begins – Hit Me Baby One More Time, Episode 1 by Carrie
When NBC announced that they’d be remaking this reality show that took the UK by storm, I was stoked. Bringing back past hit makers from years gone by seemed like a great idea. Catching up with what they’ve been doing and hearing what they sound like today – what could be more fun? Well, lots of things actually, but it still sounded like fun. And it was!
Our host Vernon Kay, who is a career presenter in the UK, welcomes us and explains what we’re about to see. Five recording artists who have faded into relative obscurity will return to the stage to perform two songs; one of their chart hits from the past, and a cover of a current popular song. After the performances, the studio audience will vote for a winner who will receive $20,000 to go to their favourite charity.
The lineup for week one is Loverboy, CeCe Peniston, A Flock of Seagulls, Arrested Development, and Tiffany.
Loverboy is up first, and we get clips of their music videos and concerts from the early 80’s. Vernon Kay calls them a “Canadian juggernaut”. Boy, have they aged. Yes, I remember a very thin Mike Reno (lead singer) in red leather pants. All I can say now is thank goodness he wasn’t wearing those puppies last night, or I’d be blind now.
Loverboy takes the stage and plays “Working for the Weekend”, which Reno describes as an “anthem for the working class”. He’s still got a good voice, don’t get me wrong, but there’s very little left of the angst-ridden rocker style of days gone by. And for some reason the background vocals just didn’t appear. It’s very clear now why American Idol has age restrictions in place.
Next up is CeCe Peniston. While I’ve never been a fan, there’s no denying that her song “Finally” was a huge smash hit in dance clubs about 15 years ago. She comes out to sing that very song, and she’s pretty darned good. Not stellar, but solid. She’s accompanied by two male go-go dancers though, and they’re very distracting. But not in a good way.
Now the band I’ve been waiting for – A Flock of Seagulls. They were an icon of the 80’s, with Mike Score’s wild hairdo and their edgy, brit-synth style. They come out on stage to sing their hit song “I Ran”, and things are not looking good. Of course I didn’t expect Score to be donning the ‘do that made him famous, but I also didn’t expect him to have longer hair than I do, and have it in a scraggly ponytail covered in a baseball cap. Argh.
The song was pretty good though, even if Score doesn’t sound British even in the slightest any longer. He lives in Florida now, but that gorgeous accent has faded into obscurity. That’s a shame. The band has a good sound, but should stick to newer music I guess, as this one was a touch disappointing.
Arrested Development is fourth up, and they look pretty much the same as they used to. Their song “Mr. Wendal” was one of my faves, but tonight they’re going to do “Tennessee”. Arrested Development broke up in 1996, but they’ve reunited and are as great as ever. They sound amazing, and are very entertaining as they dance and get the audience involved. Look out everyone, here’s your main competition.
The final performer for this week is former teen-queen Tiffany. She shot to the top of the charts at the tender age of 15, and was the youngest artist to have a #1 hit in the US. She toured malls and did concerts there, since she was too young to play in the clubs. Tiffany is in her early 30’s now, and still looks darned cute. But can she still sing?
Tiffany is doing her monster hit “I Think We’re Alone Now”, and it’s very clear from the start that this girl has matured and sounds more polished than ever. She looked just a little bit uncomfortable with the song, but her voice is fabulous.
Now it’s time to catch up with what the artists have been doing since they were chart toppers, and hear their cover versions of current songs.
Loverboy has been playing 100 concerts a year in Canada (and I’ve seen some of them advertised here – they’re mostly at bars and college campuses), and Mike Reno is still wearing his bandana as he goes out fishing on his boat or for a spin in his convertible.
They’re back onstage to perform Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero”, and it’s a pleasant surprise. Reno’s voice is strong and steady, and they do the song justice. Way to go, boys. The only deterrent here is the fog machine, and you just know the front rows of the audience are gagging under the heavy scent of synthetic strawberries.
CeCe Peniston sang for President Clinton, got married, and is enjoying her life. She says that she comfortable in her own skin, and is looking forward to the future. We get to see her hanging out at home with her husband and some friends.
CeCe returns to sing “There You’ll Be”, originally by Faith Hill. It’s nice, in a diva sort of way, but there are no goose bumps; no “wow” factor. CeCe has a lovely voice, no doubt about that, but she lacks the punch that would make her stand out in a competition such as this.
A Flock of Seagulls is still performing, even though Mike Score is the only original band member left. He’s married and living in Florida, and he says that his wife likes that he’s in a band. Indeed.
They perform Ryan Cabrera’s “When You Come Down”, and I have to admit that while it’s better than “I Ran” was, it’s not great. A Flock of Seagulls was known for their New Wave sound, and this is just, well, it’s like a bunch of guys getting together and playing at a party or something. Fun, but not something you’d want to run out and purchase.
Arrested Development are basically chillin’ in Georgia these days, and seem to be as close as ever. They’re covering Los Lonely Boys’ “Heaven”, and are the only performers to change a song and make it their own. This version, while far from the original, is amazing. Even though hip hop/soul has never been my main genre for listening, this was incredibly enjoyable. Arrested Development was tight, fun, entertaining, and vocally on top of their game.
The last performance of the evening goes to Tiffany, who won one of the weeks in the UK version of the show. She’s been working for the last six months on a new album, and is married with kids.
Tiffany has chosen to cover Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway”, and she sounds fabulous. There were really, really strong vocals and a lot more confidence with this song. Tiffany has definitely proven that she’s not a has-been.
Vernon Kay tells us that it’s now time for the audience to vote. They all take their little voting clicker things, a la Last Comic Standing, and the winner is magically brought up on stage … it’s Arrested Development! Can’t argue with that – they rocked.
Speech, from Arrested Development, says that the $20,000 will go to UNICEF for the people of Sudan and Africa. Definitely a worthy winner, and absolutely a worthy charity. Nice work!
The show closes with Arrested Development performing “Tennessee” again (c’mon NBC, how about “Mr. Wendal”? Just once?). Next week we’ll be entertained by the musical stylings of Vanilla Ice (snicker), The Motels, The Knack, Haddaway, and Tommy Tutone. Sounds like a party to me! See you then.
Comments or questions are always welcomed! Send them to me at carrie@realityshack.com.
|
|
