Totally Tubular Festival: The 80’s Revival We Needed
Every once in a while we all wish we could relive a certain moment in time, good or bad. The Totally Tubular Festival at the Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport was a welcomed blast from the past, turning an ordinary hot summer day into an unforgettable ’80s extravaganza! With the venue lights emulating pink and blue neon lights and vintage tunes blaring, the amphitheater transformed into a time machine, whisking us back to an era of big hair, synth-pop, and infectious energy.
Opening the festival was the American Rock group, The Plimsouls and Tommy Tutone. Best known for the 1982 track, “A Million Miles Away,” that was featured in the 1983 film “Valley Girl.” The Plimsouls delivered a short, but sweet, high energy performance for the early birds of the festival. With original member Eddie Munoz, they played renditions of “Zero Hour,” “Oldest Story In The World,” and “Now” with a lot of charisma and confidence. Tommy Tutone, who followed the Plimsouls, also brought a confident, feisty tone to the amphitheater. At 77 years young, lead singer Tommy Heath can still hit those notes clear as day, giving his all as he sang “Cheap Date,” “Which Man Are You?” and of course, the infamous, “867-5309,” which gave the group the first standing ovation of the day. It could only go up from here.
Coming to bring the crowd to their feet was the artsy and lively Bow Wow Wow. From the minute I saw their guitarists neon green mullet/muttenchop combo haircut, I knew I and the rest of the audience was in for a treat. I was not disappointed. Lead singer Annabel Lwin came out of the gate excited to engage with the crowd. Dancing her way around the stage, she belted “Love, Peace, and Harmony” and “Do You Wanna Hold Me” bringing on lots of happy faces from the crowd below her. Graciously, Annabel wanted to thank every single person that was a part of putting this festival together, proving just how big her heart is. Everything she said was true, the task of putting a festival like this together is no easy feat. Luckily, so far, it was going off without a hitch. Wrapping up with their infectious classic “I Love Candy,” Bow Wow Wow reminded everyone why they remain icons of the ’80s.
Wang Chung’s performance was perfect as a halfway point in the festival. Golden hour was arriving, providing the perfect setting to close out the first half of 80s icons. With the bright golden beams of light in their faces, English New Wave staple Wang Chung took to the stage with “Wait” off of the “To Live Or Die In LA soundtrack.” I think it took the duo a bit of time for the group to warm up to the crowd because it wasn’t until about halfway through their set that they wanted to play around with the crowd. They come off to me as very focused, serious musicians. Or maybe they decided to play the most emotionally charged songs towards the beginning of the set. Either way, Nick Feldman and Jack Huges delivered a pleasurable performance on their opening date of this festival tour. Playing “Should I Stay Or Should I Go,” or as I should say, “Should I Wang Or Should I Chung” was an indefinite highlight of their set.
By far my favorite performance of the festival was the eclectic Men Without Hats. Kicking off their set with their most well-known hit, “The Safety Dance,” lead vocalist Ivan Doroschuk leaped onto the stage like a tiger being released from its cage, absolutely bursting with energy. Doroschuk focused right into the signature choreography for the song wearing tight leather pants united together by his skull and crossbones belt buckle, showcasing just the right amount of edge to their synth-pop sound. Aided by the consistent instrumental execution by drummer and founding member Colin Doroschuk, keyboardist and Ivan’s daughter Sahara Sloan, and Guitarist and industry veteran Sho Murray, Ivan went wild, showing off his feral stage presence by running back and forth to each side of the audience. Keeping the crowd dancing, the band continued with more hits like “Antarctica,” “Where Do The Boys Go?,” and “Pop Goes the world.” Rounding out their performance, the group played “The Safety Dance” once again with the same exuberant energy, dedicating it to all those who showed up late for their set. Through their commitment to flair and their stellar execution, the group made a memorable impression on both me and the rest of the Bridgeport crowd.
A big draw to the festival was English New Wave/ Post Punk Band Modern English with the original lead vocalist, Robbie Grey, who upon arrival used his quick wit and British accent to cool any underlying tension in the air. Sporting an orange spotted ascot and a tambourine, the group jumped right into “Gathering Dust” off their 1981 album, “Mesh and Lace.” It was hard to tell why the crowd wasn’t as reactive to their set as I had assumed they would be. Guitarist Gary McDowell’s strumming was quite hypnotic in contrast to the Men Without Hats tracks that were played before their set, bringing a whole new energy to their performance. It was only by their “Crazy Lovers” off of their latest album “ 1 2 3 4” that Robbie had had enough. For a band playing as passionately as Modern English was, it was only fair to have the same energy reciprocated by the crowd. Once Robbie got the audience to their feet, it got much better from that point forward. I commend them for not standing by and taking control of their show. It gave them the much needed energy to conclude their set on a high note with the infamous, “I Melt With You.”
As Tom Bailey, of the Thompson Twins, took his place on the stage, the energy once again, completely shifted. With the addition of some colorful stage lights and him dazzling in his shiny white suit, he had every eye in the house on him. Backed by his all-female bandmates, Tom began to sing Thompson Twins track “Love On Your Side.” There was a charisma about Bailey’s stage presence that, to me, was so entrancing. Although he presents as someone that likes subtlety, the glitz and glamor of his surroundings and simple movements carry a cult-like essence to them, building on an atmosphere where he is larger than life, like a Joel Osteen or is Jim Jones adjacent (in an endearing way). I mean it was hard to ignore that comparison with a cloud overlay on the venue camera footage of his performance of “King for a Day”. He continued on playing more Thompson Twin hits like “Doctor Doctor!” and “Lies” with that showman-like quality, keeping everyone on their feet. Tom was truly impeccable, a performer you are guaranteed to get a magical performance out of.
Closing out the night was English musician, composer, and producer Thomas Dolby. Coming out alone, in a long, buckled trench coat, with a synthesizer over his vocals, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. But to my surprise, Dolby delivered an ethereal performance, taking the audience on what I would call a “museum tour” of his life. Through his mastery of storytelling and sound, Thomas teleported everyone into some of the most important or impactful moments of his life, like meeting David Bowie, through an expertly crafted combination of visuals and sound. For someone as accomplished as Thomas is, this was a beautiful way of discovering where his drive and passion for music came from. He continued playing his most well-known tracks, “Hyperactive!” and “She Blinded Me With Science.” Dolby’s reflection on his life felt like the perfect way to conclude a day full of nostalgia, leaving the audience with a sense of profound connection to the music and memories of the era.
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