The 80's Club Rocked ...sort of
by JCoprasm on 2024-11-22Thunder Bay Community Auditorium - Thunder BayRating: 3 out of 5The concert lineup featured a collection of 80s bands, kicking off with The Spoons. While their energy and enjoyment were evident, the sound quality was surprisingly poor—especially disappointing given the auditorium's reputation for exceptional acoustics. Next up was Men Without Hats, who absolutely rocked the house. They opened and closed their set with the crowd-favorite "Safety Dance,"and Ivan could move just like he did in the 80s. The sound was spot-on, and the audience was on their feet for most of the performance.
Flock of Seagulls followed, delivering an enthusiastic set. While their sound was good and I found it entertaining, the audience's engagement waned—perhaps because their songs are less familiar to many. Finally, Honeymoon Suite closed the show. By this point, I resorted to earplugs as the sound was uncomfortably loud and unfortunately, the music itself didn’t land for me. Although their visual performance was strong, it wasn’t enough to make up for the experience overall.
The concert's flow could have been significantly improved. Setting up two alternating stages, one in front of the other, might have reduced the excessive 25-minute intermissions between 30-minute sets. This inefficiency detracted from the overall enjoyment.
In summary, Men Without Hats were the standout stars, earning a solid 5 stars for their fantastic, nostalgic performance, with Flock of Seagulls coming in second. However, the overall concert experience only merits a 3-star rating.