bedsitter23

The Iowa State Fair has come and gone. I have a few things to add to my archive of the fair's unique moments. But first, my annual review of the Free Stage.

The Fair Free Stage is a barometer of a band's career. If you are a country act like LANco, you are on the ascent. If you play rock music, your career is likely on the descent.

This year, some of the artists that likely would be relegated to the Free Stage, have bonded together for the I Love 90s Tour. Tone Loc, Young MC, Coolio, Color Me Badd, Salt N Pepa and Vanilla Ice.

So who's playing for free in 2017.

Tiffany

I remember:  Before I knew what "selling out" was and complaining that REM signed to Warners, I was a kid and I thought if you played malls, maybe you weren't a serious artist.  There were no bigger songs in Summer 1987 than "I think we're alone now" and Billy Idols' "Mony Mony", which meant that the voice of my parents generation might be Dylan or Lennon, but the voice of mine was Tommy James.

What have you been up to:  Tiffany had two monster albums, until she was eclipsed by the next pop thing, which happened to be the New Kids on the Block.  A bid for serious artistry evaded her.  She tried country music, 2000s Color of Silence boasted Alannis-style angst and distorted guitars , 2005s Dust Off and Dance was a bid for the electronica market, and by 2011's Rose Tattoo, she was back to country music with a Bonnie Raitt/Stevie Ray Vaughn blues side.


Club Noveau

I remember: there weren't many bigger hits in '87 than the band's cover of "Lean on Me".  The band was formed from another one hit wonder "Timex Social Club".  New jack swing was new and vocal melodies always go over big.  The band's "Why You Treat Me So Bad" is a timeless hit that has birthed numerous hits.


What have you been up to:  "Lean on Me" sounds like its time, but harmony bands remain huge from En Vogue and Boyz II Men to Pentatonix and Fifth Harmony.  The band was a one hit wonder, but remained relevant on the R&B charts for at least four albums in.  It's been 20 years since their last album, but the current band features three of the original five members, so hopefully everyone is in a good mood.  Puff Daddy and R Kelly took a "So Bad" sample for "Satisfy You" for a #1 R&B hit and a grammy, while the standout hiphop track by Luniz "I Got Five on it" gets played on "throwback" stations daily, so hopefully, the band is making pretty good residual checks.

Dokken

I remember:  Dokken is probably a victim of their time.  They certainly had some talent for hard rock.  If they had hit their prime a few years earlier, they might have got to the level of a Van Halen, Motley Crue or Judas Priest.  Instead, their height of their popularity coincided with the rise of Nirvana and Metallica.  The band's downfall usually attributed to their opening act status for Metallica, and surely if they had been born a bit later would have been able to avoid the cheesy videos and other trappings of their time.


What have you been up to: The band actually weathered the 'decline of glam metal' better than you realize.  Dan Dokken and George Lynch split up but had successful solo records and as late as 1995's Dysfunctional, the band would still sell close to half-million copies.  Of course, the general consensus is Dokken and Lynch never ever liked each other, so a split was inevitable.  With the decline of this particular genre, it was inevitable that the band would record for the CMC record label. and released two studio and two live records there.  They have continued to tour and release albums.  Their most recent records on our Frontiers Records (a CMC type label for the new century).  In  a most Spinal Tap-ish move, Dokken's lawyer was playing guitar for the band for a time.  Wikipedia says Lynch is back with the band, though I could not confirm that.

Kix

I remember:   Kix were clearly a second tier glam band.  I do remember seeing a quite a few of their shirts though and "Blow My Fuse" being some kind of hit.  The band's one big hit "Don't Close Your Eyes" has stood fairly well, and is probably one of the better ballads of those years.


What have you been up to: Kix's origin predated much of their glam brethren which probably were why they were a bit better.  The band had all the usual events of the bands of their day- declining sales and being dropped from a major label.  A record for CMC, split up, reunion and some bit of recent relative success while signed to Frontiers Records.  The current line up appears to be all four original members.

Bang Tango


I remember:  If Kix were B-level, well Bang Tango was c-level with the like of Sleez Beez, XYZ and Babylon AD.  As happened at the time, I ended up with a copy of their "Aint No Jive...Live" on cassette, which was either given to me or I got in exchange for gas money or something.

What have you been up to:  Given a shift of years, Bang Tango might have been classified alt-rock like The Cult, but instead was looped in with the glam scene.  They were more talented than their contemporaries, but timing meant their success was limited.  They have conitnued to record for marginal record labels 9though Cleopatra did release a couple of their discs).  The current band is lead singer and a cast of others, while the rest of the original band performs as Bang Tango Redux.  The Spinal Tap moment of this band is the wikipedia which list 35+ one-time members of the band, and claims to be a partial list.


Slaughter


I remember:  "Up All Night" was a huge anthemic hit.  It put everyone on notice that this band might be redefining rock.  The band had real rock credentials as they came from the Vinnie Vincent Invasion. 

What have you been up to: For me, I was less impressed with the other singles, though they certainly were successful.  Outside of the Kiss-like chorus, "Up All Night" doesn't stand up to the test of time.  It is easy to point to the band's decline to the rise of grunge which made the band look like out of style, but the truth might be closer to the band's "Behind the Music" story of drug abuse, litigation, and fatal and near- fatal car and motorcycle accidents.  The band released three records for CMC international and haven't recorded since 1999, but have toured since.  The current band includes Mark Slaughter and Dana Strum.

Nelson

I remember: Nelson were huge, and the timing meant they were classified as 'metal" where if they had come out a decade later, may have been a boy band.  As much as I hate their music, they do seem to be generally good guys, and their pedigree (Ricky Nelson, Ozzie and Harriet) is undeniable.

What have you been up to:  "Love and Affection" was such a great hit, that in retrospect, it's hard to imagine that the band wouldn't have had at least some success with a follow-up (even with the advent of grunge).  Instead, Geffen and the band were in odds over the follow up, forcing a hiatus of five years.  "Because We Can" (and its album cover) is one of the great tongue-in-cheek titles of all time.  The band has tried a few reinventions- sometimes as the Nelson, sometimes as Matthew& Gunnar Nelson.  They have made a country record as well as the inevitable Rick Nelson covers record.  They recently record for the Frontiers record label.

Steve Augeri

I remember:  Steve  (former lead singer of lateday glam metal and CMC signees Tyketto) replaced Steve Perry in Journey, to be lost in history to the viral success of Arnel Pinada, a Filipino Perry sound-alike.  Still, Augeri is hardly the "Gary Cherone" of Journey or that guy who replaced Phil Collins in Genesis.  The albums he appeared on Arrival and Generations kept the band in the spotlight, and there's no shame in anything there.


What have you been up to: As with Perry, Journey and Augeri went their "separate ways"  (i had, to right) because of vocal issues.  Augeri has apparently recovered and been busy.  When he is not performing alone, he plays in a band with Europe, Yngwie Malmsteen band and Planet X alumni.

Saliva

I remember:  As glam begat Nu Metal, it doesn't get much bigger than Saliva. 2004's Survival of the Sickest, and that 2002 Spiderman song with Nickleback.  I probably couldnt tell you the difference between Saliva and Seether.

What have you been up to: Looking at the charts, Saliva appear to still be relevant but they no longer have vocalist  Josey Scott.  What looks to be their last major single "Redneck Freakshow" came in 2013.

Green River Ordinance

I remember:  They had a couple of songs that got radio play. I can't remember if they were rock, pop or country, and after reading their wikipedia page, i am still not sure.


What have you been up to:  Still releasing albums and critically acclaimed as last album came out last year

I can't believe I never thought of this and it doesn't look like anyone else has either.

So when I saw on one page of the weekend paper that  the Jersey Boys were in town and that Frankie Valli tickets were going on sale, well it all clicked.

Let's get it on.

Okay, to be fair, I am making some assumptions that aren't really true.  For starters, although I am clearly cheering for Frankie (He's the real thing.), I am not really a 4 Seasons fan, and as 'Oldies' stalwarts, they are last on my list when listing preferences.)  I wonder how many people if asked would want to see The Jersey Boys and have no interest in seeing Valli.  Maybe, it's less than I think, but  there's clearly more buzz about Boys. 

I also give some credit to the marketing behind Jersey Boys which on paper seems like the one musical that husbands and boyfriends wouldn't mind seeing.  I am told that's inaccurate, if you're expecting Mean Streets, you're going to get West Side Story.  If you're expecting the Gaslight Anthem, you're going to get 'Anthony's Song", but not even Billy Joel's FM work.  This is "Sherry, baby".

Also, though i feel if people really like Jersey Boys, they owe it to themselves to see the actual guy himself, I do realize Valli cashes a paycheck each time the curtain opens on the musical.

Anyway here goes.

     vs 

Venue  Both Valli and Jersey Boys played the same venue- the 2700 seat Performing Arts Center.

Ticket Prices Jersey Boys starts at $25 up to $125 - Valli tickets range from $50-140

Dates Jersey Boys has eight performances over 6 days. Valli has one night

Running Time  Jersey Boys - 2 hours 30 mins.  Frankie Valli 2 hours

Audience Restrictions Jersey Boys does warn of mature content and asks guests be age 14 or older.  valli is all ages

Songs Jersey boys advertises "Sherry," "Big Girls Don’t Cry," "Rag Doll," "Oh What a Night" and "Can’t Take My Eyes Off You."   Valli's ad lists “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Rag Doll,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”

Buzz- Ear to the ground, I hear people tlaking about Jersey Boys, nothing about Valli.  It doesn't mean no ones going to Frankie, but it's  bad sign.  I can't find anything on Jersey Boys ticket sales, but i do know Valli still had tickets on sale the night before.


Review- It's hard to find similar reviews.  Jersey Boys routinely gets 9 out of 10 stars, but it of course takes into account shows across the country.  I found one site that gave Frankie Valli 9 stars out of 10.  The closest I could get to a "Jersey Boys Civic Center Des Moines" page, it had 5 stars out of 10.  Of course as an internet disclaimer, both sites had three anonymous reviewers and the Jersey Boys page gave no details at all.  That said a couple of local sites reviewed Jersey Boys (It ended to a standing o, according to the local newspaper), I could not find any site that was interested in Valli after the fact, only hyping him before. I have seen scattered across the web that even in his 70s, Valli has a strong performance, and elicits 4 and 5 star reviews from the people who matter- his fans.

Verdict  I declare the winner Frankie.  He doesn't have the buzz or the publicity.  Still, the good news is that he can command a bit more for tickets, and I guess that has how you determine the real winner.