Hot ticket: New Wave, familiar sounds, some different faces
By GINA VIVINETTO
Published October 2, 2003
Okay, all you 1980s New Wave freaks, the ones who flood the Team Pop mailboxes with your nostalgia about frosted bangs, Aqua Net, skinny ties and all things gender ambiguous: Jannus Landing has a triple bill for you in the form of Berlin, General Public and Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
Of course, nothing's perfect. All of these bands arrive in various states of original membership. L.A.-based Berlin features original singer Terri Nunn - she of the two-toned hair and potty mouth. Remember 1982's smutty fantasy fest Sex (I'm A . . .)? Berlin scored big in the mid 1980s with MTV smashes No More Words and the Top Gun anthem Take My Breath Away.
General Public comes to town without Ranking Roger, but leader Dave Wakeling can still belt out Tenderness and other ska-influenced, bouncy ditties. Props to Wakeling for being in the superinfluential English Beat.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood? This lineup should have its name in quotes. It does not feature charismatic singer Holly Johnson. It does not feature the great Paul Rutherford, whose main task was grooving around onstage, acting flamboyant and fabulous. In fact, this FGTH features not one original member. But, the band will play the two big hits, Relax and Two Tribes, and whatever other Frankie numbers they've mastered. And, you can dance.
Berlin performs with General Public and Frankie Goes to Hollywood at 7 p.m. tonight at Jannus Landing, 16 Second St. N, St. Petersburg. $25. (727) 896-2276. - GINA VIVINETTO, Times pop music critic
In tune with Radiohead
Many folks declare Radiohead the most important band in the world. Team Pop doesn't know about that, but we sure did like this year's Hail to the Thief, a beautiful mix of orchestral noodling and strong songcraft. We sure wouldn't giggle behind the backs of anyone willing to trek to West Palm Beach to see the band's only Florida gig.
Thom Yorke and his innovative band of Brits have been releasing some of the most interesting rock on the planet for more than a decade. From the band's early pop days when the hits included the catchy Creep, through groundbreaking rock-meets-electronica blipfest OK Computer, to the double punch of the grandiose Kid A and Amnesiac, the band has garnered critical praise.
Yorke's dystopian vision and mumbly vocals may alienate some, but Radiohead continues to explore, and millions are willing to go along for the ride.
Radiohead performs with Supergrass at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Sound Advice Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach. $33-$39. (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100. - GINA VIVINETTO, Times pop music critic
Standing tall, selling big
Country star Toby Keith wears his patriotic zeal on his sleeve - and it sells. Keith, 42, let the world know earlier this year that he thought Dixie Chick Natalie Maines ought to "keep her big mouth shut" when she spoke out against President Bush and the war in Iraq.
Keith's 2002 Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American), a response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, struck a chord with fans. It racked up another hit for the 6-foot-4 Keith, a former oil worker and rodeo hand.
Country's in the blood of this boy, born in Oklahoma, even if most of his smashes pre-patriotism were sappy songs that sounded more like romantic "lite" country. Those hits date back to 1993's Should've Been A Cowboy, on through He Ain't Worth Missing and Who's That Man.
Now we find Keith dueting with ol' Willie Nelson on Beer For My Horses. Hmmm.
Toby Keith performs with Blake Shelton and Junior Brown at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the St. Pete Times Forum, 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa. $36.50-$46.50. (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100.
