Going to a Concert

You know... It used to be that you could read the paper online here in New Brunswick. It was a fun time for me because the content was actually tagged in the news service - so I would end up googling and finding stuff I wrote quoted in a lot of far-flung places. I once wrote an article talking about something in China and for about a year ever time I got spam it was in Mandarin, and every time I googled myself a third of the sites were in China. Alas, those days are gone and because the Times & Transcript is behind a pay wall, no one ever sees the things I write.

I can post it the day after it appears in the paper - but really, how many of you are interested in day late news stories about the arts ;) Well, today, I am going to a concert tonight that played last night in Moncton - which is where I wrote the story for. But the interviewing and writing process made me want to see the show... which often happens, I am not always free to do it however... this time the fates worked out... So if you are in Fredericton tonight and want to be entertained... Go see this show, LEGENDS. And give me a wave.

Even if you are not there... here is a sample of what I do for the paper.... I write about lifestyle events and artists of all sorts who are coming to Moncton. That is, when I am not writing for my main gig at Arabella or working on my own science fiction... grin.

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What if you could see some of the legends of music live on stage? What if you could sit down for four distinct concerts that show you some of the best performances ever by some of the best stage performers of all times? That is what the show Legends Live promises you as it brings Cher, Rod Stewart, Tom Jones and Michael Jackson to the Capitol stage on Thursday night!

Okay, it is a tribute show – it is not actually Michael Jackson returned from the stage in all his Thriller glory – it is Bishop Soul starring as Michael – just as it is Doug Varty doing Rod and Kara Chandler as Cher with Dave Lafame as Tom Jones. Still – you are going to swear you saw the real thing.

“We put this show together with some of the best talent that there is,” explains Garry Lichach of Bounty Enterprises, “And what we do is spend the time to get it right. This show is note for note, chord for chord – everything you would have heard on one of their records reproduced. We do not do our own arrangements or anything, we recreate the work of the artists.”

These are the same people who brought Abbamania and Night Fever to the Moncton audiences, both shows which were so perfect you would have sworn you saw the Abba and the Bee Gees live.

“I mean, it is a live show too,” Garry continues “These people are actors and performers of the highest calibre. There is comedy and there are moments when they speak right to the heart of the crowd, you are drawn into believing they are the real deal.”

Garry was in Los Angeles a little while ago where there are street performers doing tributes all the time, “It is amazing to watch,” he continues, “because no matter what everyone stops what they are doing to catch the show. And this is just on the side of the street... There is nostalgia involved here, and a sense of wonder; I mean, we hear the song Maggie Mae and we are immediately taken back to the past. How much more true is it if you are watching someone who looks like Rod Stewart sing it!”

And that is just it, that is what makes tribute bands so popular all over the world, they make us remember. We are cast back to the first time we heard Michael Jackson on the radio and when we close our eyes, it is that scene which plays out in front of us – then we open them and lo and behold, Michael is on the stage. Or at least, we can suspend disbelief long enough to think it might just be possible.

Now imagine two and a half hours of stage show with four artists that there is a good chance none of us will ever see perform live. That is the second thing about this, it allows us to do something we cannot normally do, or in the case of Michael, is impossible to do. To see a live show with a performer that we have only heard about in mythical ways before this...

“I booked all the entertainment for the Canadian National Exhibition for twenty years,” explains Garry, “ and during that time I got to see not only who was the best, but what a crowd tribute bands could bring in. Everyone loves to revisit their best memories – but the performers have to be the best, and these people are magic!”

Garry has been in the business for 45 years and he puts together shows that are going to sell out. Abbamania and Night Fever are critically acclaimed – because it is all about getting things right. As Garry explains finding the right artist is only the first step – then you need to find the best studio musicians, and then the best engineers, and then you spend months going over and over the performances – figuring out the best reverb for that song, or the way the harmonics fit in this number. And the result is a show unlike any other; one where you can honestly feel like you have seen Tom Jones perform!

“So, I mean, if you do not enjoy live music you might as well stay home,” Garry laughs, “but if you are a fan of music then there is going to be something for you at this show! Maybe you love Cher, or Rod Stewart, Or Tom Jones, or Michael Jackson – even if only one of them is your favourite, you are going to hear all of their hits. But even if you just love music this is going to be a show to remember, these are the best live performers out there. Besides, I guarantee there is some song in the mix that will take you back... After the show there is a chance to talk to the performers, to get an autograph, it is great. You are going to walk away from this show thinking, Oh my God, I just saw Michael Jackson in concert!”