Canada’s ‘Stayin’ Alive’ tribute to the Bee Gees hits Grand Rapids next Saturday. The Local Spins interview with singer Todd Sharman, plus a video of the band.
‘Sending a Shiver Down Everybody’s Spine’: Stayin’ Alive on stage. (Courtesy Photo)
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Grand Rapids’ Devos Performance Hall will soon be filled with the sounds of another era.
Stayin’ Alive: One Night of The Bee Gees brings its Bee Gees tribute show to Grand Rapids on Saturday (Sept. 7) and fans can expect career retrospective of the platinum-selling band that first made a splash in the late 1960s.
Considered a quintessential tribute act, the Canadian-based band gives audiences around the world a chance to time travel through the power of music — a show that recreates many of the “songs and sights” of a full Bee Gees set list, with the modernity of visual elements including “big screen video clips, photos and dazzling imagery.”
“I can’t put my finger on it,” says Todd Sharman, who portrays Bee Gees’ Robin Gibb. “I just know there are some songs you grow up with and when you go back and listen to them, for some reason they still have that same magic they had when you first heard them. These songs still hold their own.”
He adds: “First off, they’re really well-written songs and it’s a lot of fun to play and it’s great to see the audience’s reaction. They’re either dancing or sitting there reminiscing of an earlier time in their lives. A song might take them back to a specific moment in time.”
The Same Bee Gees’ Magic: Stayin’ Alive (Photo/Sal Gomez Photography)
That set list of classics from one of the best-selling acts of all time includes such hits as “Night Fever,” “Jive Talkin’,” “How Deep Is Your Love,” “You Should Be Dancing,” “Nights on Broadway,” “Stayin’ Alive,” “I Started a Joke,” “Massachusetts,” “Words” and “To Love Somebody.”
Touted as “high energy” and “authentic,” the musicians’ reincarnation of the Bee Gees is attentive to the details, down to the costume-clad resemblance of the musicians to which they are paying homage.
“Lately, when we play the song ‘To Love Somebody,’ we engage the audience during the chorus. It can really send a shiver down everybody’s spine. To hear that many people singing the chorus of the song is pretty cool,” says Sharman.
“That’s one real highlight to me almost every night. The crowd is engaged and by that point of the show, people are just wanting to dance. It really sparks the energy. That’s a great moment of the night.”
The band also features Tony Mattina (as Barry Gibb) and Joseph Janisse (as Maurice Gibb), with guitarist Smokin’ Joe Peeres, bassist Chris Mullin and drummer Tony Priolo.
The Saturday (Sept. 7) show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, $20-$100, available online at Ticketmaster here. More info about the show here.
VIDEO: Stayin’ Alive Bee Gees Tribute
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