Wayback Machine

What a difference a decade or two makes. Last night the wife and I went to see a band called the Spazmatics, in town to play as part of the two-week-long celebration of the World Equestrian Games being held here in Lexington.  "Nerds that rock," the Spazmatics are the creation of a group called Perfect World Entertainment.

According to its website, "Perfect World Entertainment is the industry leader in musical era tributes, cover bands and themed party bands."  Yes, they are.  For lack of a better term, the Spazmatics are a franchise.  There are different versions of the Spazmatics all over the country.  The band we saw last night hails from Cleveland, home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but an underrated music city nonetheless. There are many music purists who decry the rise of these formulaic bands, but these guys are talented and the act works.  Crowds go crazy for these would-be nerds.

I first stumbled across the Spazmatics a few years ago when I ran into the L.A.-based act at the Belly Up in Aspen.

Until that night I was unaware that 80s music was in the midst of a renaissance.  My buddy and I were astounded.  The place was packed and the vast majority of the patrons were dressing the part, wearing the neon-hued ski apparel that was the essence of fashion during the decade of Duran Duran, Eurthymics, Madonna and all of the one-hit wonders who contributed to the rise of MTV.  "These people are making fun of us," I exclaimed, not yet in on the joke. My indignation lasted for all of three songs before I clued in.  The band and the crowd were not mocking the 80s, they were embracing it!  The 80s were back, baby!

I read once that everything moves in twenty-year cycles, especially music and fashion.  Music, much more so than fashion, is a bridge to another time.  Nothing can capture of the essence of a moment in time as crisply as a song does. Music is a marker. Music is participatory. Music is life's bookmark.  

Not long after the Aspen experience I had the opportunity to suggest the Spazmatics as entertainment for a mid-winter party.  While a funk band would have been the safe choice, I loved the crowd's reaction to the Spazmatics' show.  We were able to book them and despite my fear that what worked for a besotted crowd of twenty-somethings in Aspen would not work for an older crowd in a country club setting,  I needn't have worried.  The party was a grand slam home run.

Whip it good! 

So, last night the Spazmatics were back in town.  Our schools are on fall break, it was a beautiful evening, and downtown was filled with revelers.  The elements for a good time seemed in place. They cranked up shortly after 8 PM.  As at the party with which I was involved, the crowd at first seemed unsure what to make of these guys and their polyester pants, big black glasses, and pocket protectors.  For those unfamiliar with the band and the concept the music itself seemed a strange choice. 80s music?  Really? 
 
So, the crowd, which I estimated at 5000+, hung back for a couple of songs.  But then the combination of music, alchohol, and memories kicked in.  For the crowd, the majority of whom had come of age in the 1980s, it was time travel.  It never fails.  People danced, sung, played the air guitar, and lost their inhibitions in the good time that a great band makes possible.  The Spazmatics ate it up.  It was perfect–the crowd loved the band and the band loved the crowd.

After they finally dragged themselves off the stage to catch the flight home, I was talking to a friend and she made a salient comment.  "I didn't even like most of those songs in the 80s," she said, "but tonight I was screaming the lyrics to every song they played."   Yes, indeed.  Journey, Wang Chung, Def Leppard, Tears For Fears, Dexy's Midnight Runners were all famous 80s bands that didn't really resonate with me then. In the 80s I was–true to form–listening to the 60s.   However, the passage of two decades and the identification of these bands as being central to the culture in which I came of age, makes it my music now.  "Safety Dance" anyone?  Who's with me?

"We can dance if we want to..."