We Built This City on Doo-Dat-Doo

For the Global Cabaret Festival down in the Distillery District, I went to see Retrocity's tribute to Queen and The Police. Retrocity is an 8-member a cappella band who specializes in vocal arrangements of 80s tunes. It is a side project for the professional singers in the group (such as Suba Sankaran of Autorickshaw) so it is always a pleasure to attend one of their rare concerts. I had a great time with the music although some of the songs were unfamiliar to me (e.g., I'm Going Slightly Mad by Queen). However, it didn't rank up there as one of my favourite Retrocity shows; some of which included my very first show with them in a fund-raiser at the Arts and Letters Club on Elm, and a few of their shows at Clinton's.

First, I didn't think the material was a-one stuff. The Queen songs were excellent, especially The Show Must Go On and Bohemian Rhapsody but most of The Police songs were dull. The excitement of a 3-member reggae-influenced band became muzak-like. Their last tribute show covered songs by Michael Jackson. This was an excellent choice as his music is very layered pop. But generally speaking, they do better when they can pick from the cream of the 80s crop. Their cover of Toto's Africa, Jackson's Human Nature, and an 80s rap medley expertly performed by Suba and her husband Dylan Bell are legendary.

Second, the atmosphere was a bit staid. They wore nice clothes and performed about 10 songs without much banter. The audience was mostly grey-haired. It  felt a bit like those Casino Rama nostalgia shows for aging baby boomers. In contrast, at other shows, the audience was young and enthusiastic. The band wore 80s gear and made all sorts of silly talk. Past highlights for me included one grand entrance sung to the intro to the A-Team, introduction of each band member with modified lyrics from 80s TV theme songs, and a "romantic medley" where they brought back all those cringe-worthy memories of a grade 8 high school dance.

Finally, the sound mix felt incorrectly balanced compared to other shows. For the whole night, I thought that the "bass" and "drum" mikes should have been louder. These were rock and pop songs and needed that driving beat. Without it, the songs had that "London Philharmonic Plays The Beatles" feel. This was obvious when they did Bohemian Rhapsody. In that song, there is a transition from the faux opera to the head-banging section, made famous by the car scene in Wayne's World. That rock and roll excitement simply wasn't there at this show.

In any case, they will be doing another show in December. Of course I'll be there. But I hope they'll be playing at a venue where everyone understands the mystical power that is 80s head-band and leg-warmers.