Since moving to Los Angeles, I’ve definitely gotten the chance to go to a few great concerts (like the 80’s Night Cover Bands, Rick Springfield, and AbbaFest) and this past Saturday was no exception – it was a night with The English Beat at a small local venue called T. Boyles Tavern.
The venue was one of the smallest I’ve been to in a long time. It made me smile to see how close to the stage we could get. We walked in the door and saw Dave Wakeling’s guitars all lined up.
I was a big fan of the ska/reggae laced English Beat and General Public in 80’s and 90’s but never got to see them live in my concert-going hey-day. Even though I’ve been to a number of 80’s/90’s based bands recently, I still get a little happy when I realize that I’m not the oldest one in the audience. I saw feathered hair at this show and silently chuckled to myself.
Even though Dave Wakeling didn’t look like the super cool guy of the 80’s (he was a bit paunchy and looked more like he was going to a golf game), the man sounded stellar and played a fantastic 2 hour set! I didn’t need to be reminded multiple times by the Rankin’ Roger substitute about 80’s nostalgia but overall, the set and the band were terrific.
You know you’ve been to a good concert when you know nearly every song played by the band then realize that they still didn’t play all of the songs you know. I tried to find a set list but couldn’t but here’s my recollection:
Rough Rider
Hands Off…She’s Mine
Twist and Crawl
I’ll Take You There
I Confess
Click Click
Save It For Later
Can’t Get Used To Losing You
Whine and Grine/Stand Down Margaret
Best Friend
Too Nice To Talk To
Never You Done That
Sole Salvation
Tenderness
Ranking Full Stop
Mirror In The Bathroom
They didn’t play two of my favorites “Doors of Your Heart” or “Tears of a Clown” but it was still a fantastic show. I was so blown away by Dave and the band that I fell down the rabbit hole known as YouTube and found out 2 very interesting things about Dave Wakeling:
- He is not a lefty. He just learned to play the guitar wrong (and upside down orignally) and never changed.
- Pete Townshend called him to learn how to play “Save It For Later” because Dave’s tuning for the song was atypical.
Bottom line, The English Beat are a can’t miss band. They’re on tour now and if you can see them, do!
Disclaimer: Please know that I was not paid to go to this show or obligated to write about it. I gladly paid my own money and wanted to share what a great concert it was with all of my other 80’s music fans.
What band or musical artist blew you away like you never expected when you saw them in concert?
I am in LOVE with Ledisi… she is a jazz/r&b singer who has an amazing range. I saw her at a concert at BB Kings and was blown away. She is just now becoming more mainstream… I just hope she stays true to her original type of music. If you watch any of her live YouTube videos it may give you the chills…she moves me to tears sometimes.
I saw Foster the People at the Summer Stage in Central Park and it was one of the best concerts I’ve been to. It was so much fun and it started to rain during the last song (Pumped Up Kicks) and it was such an incredible atmosphere!
So glad you had a great time at the concert!! Your passion for music is infectious.
I’m going to check her out. I love discovering new artists.
Pumped Up Kicks is one of running playlist songs. I was impressed by FTP’s SNL performance. Still on the fence about whether I like the new release yet. Definitely talented though. I could go for seeing them live.
My fav English Beat song is “I Confess” .. wow, it must have been incredible to see them live!
Monica.
You’ve got good taste Monica! It was quite a great song.