Adam Ant and The English Beat at the Fillmore.

Last night saw the early 80s come back to life at The Fillmore. In an odd folding chair in the general admission area, people of many ages, mostly older, stood, danced and jumped to the sound of some of the essentials of early MTV influence and many numbers from the soundtracks that defined them as a generation.

The English Beat with Dave Wakeling led his new found bandmates thru a host of songs that reminded the crowd of the good old days when he and Ranking Roger led the pop, ska, Latin, reggae, punk, rock group into the hearts of many. With all of the originals except Wakeling passed on, he pined for them up with “I Can’t Get Used to Loosing You. All the hits were there and even tossed in a couple from General Public with Tenderness being the highlight. If you have never heard a ska band, then I highly advise you to try and see the EB at some point. The backing group was so good that it made classics like Save It For Later and Mirror In The Bathroom fit right in to the life we lead today.

Adam Ant was probably the weakest link to his set. He was fine but sometimes looked very scripted and awkward moving through his hits. His band that played with him, was not weak at all. They tore through the set with energy and vigor that only a five piece backing band with 2 guitarists, a bass player and 2 drummers can handle. The drums were amazing and laid down an unmistakable power that you could not ignore. The bass and rhythm guitar fit their part nicely but the lead guitar really tore it up. His driving riffs were killer and kept the songs heavy. Adam warmed up later in the night and finished the show on a great note.

With other 80s and 90s shows coming in over the next 6 months, I highly advise you early bird special lovers to eat early and rock on!