Pick a decade, any decade.
No matter how old you are, nostalgia is always right behind you, breathing down your neck, reminding you of another time, another place, another haircut.
We feed on the familiar. The only reason we have a Jessica & Nick was because we had a Britney & Justin. When airplay trended toward boy bands, we had a Backstreet bouquet. When synthesizers stole the flame from disco, Duran Duran and Depeche Mode were hardly alone with their so-called new wave.
And it’s these trends that define decades, be it the altruistic harmonies of ’60s rock or the fiery apocalypse of ’00s hip-hop.
And where there’s nostalgia there’s money, making aural time travel possible in the live concert arena. This summer myriad festivals offer this trip with the cost of a concert ticket, and while there was no ’90s festival making the rounds, a woman named
Alanis is celebrating the 10th anniversary of one of the biggest-selling records of all time this week – 1995’s “Jagged Little Pill” – so she and her acoustic rerelease of the record will serve as a fine reminder of that decade not long ago.
So go ahead. Spin the wheel.
THE SIXTIES
KOOL Koncert: Paul Revere & the Raiders still wear the outfits. And while they may look silly, that’s not to say they were not important in their day, primarily the late ’60s. In hindsight, they’re often cast aside, but it’s important to note that this influential ’60s rock band – with its sparse guitars and garage tactics – achieved a level of popularity that was almost Beatle-esque. Little Richard is on the same bill for the time-traveling nostalgia seeker in search of that ’50s sound.
KOOL Koncert with Paul Revere & the Raiders, Little Richard, The Raspberries, The Spinners, Gary Lewis & the Playboys and the Box Tops; July 2,Coors Amphitheatre; $20-$40, Ticketmaster.
THE SEVENTIES
Jammin’ 92.5’s Father’s Day Funk Fest: The Commodores were the ’70s. They had the righteous disco hits – “She’s a brick-hooouuse” – and they played perfectly against super-ballads such as “Just to Be Close to You” and “Easy.” That practiced juxtaposition made them a musical powerhouse and keeps them at the forefront of ’70s acts who are still performing and selling records/making the cut for funk and disco compilations.
Jammin’ 92.5’s Father’s Day Funk Fest with The Commodores, Kool & The Gang and Morris Day & The Time; June 19, Coors Amphitheatre; $17.50-$89.50, Ticketmaster.
THE EIGHTIES
Devo and friends: Of course Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale of Devo met at art school. Their band’s synthesizers and postmodern philosophy (Devo means “de-evolution”) came at the right time, and they led the new wave music scene that dominated the era with killer beats, excellent videos and smarts that still go misunderstood.
Devo, The English Beat, Missing Persons, A Flock of Seagulls, Dramarama, Real Life; Aug. 23, Coors Amphitheatre; $19.80-$65, Ticketmaster.
THE NINETIES
Alanis Morissette: Alanis was mid-’90s post-grunge angst-pop by definition – everything wrapped into one amazingly tight ball of pop sensibilities. She and producer Glenn Ballard captured a distinctly North American aesthetic on “Jagged Little Pill,” and the album seemingly lived forever, spinning out singles and videos with an impressive understanding of post-grunge America.
Alanis Morissette; July 5, Paramount; $59.50-$69.50, Ticketmaster.
TODAY
Anger Management 3 Tour 50 Cent, with some help from his mentors Eminem and Dre, has mastered the collision of pop and hip-hop to multiplatinum results in the past two years. Whether it’s “Just a Lil Bit” or “In da Club,” 50 has a way of taking above-average production and his own rudimentary MC skills and elevating them to radio-domination status with vocally enhanced, half-sung choruses that are impossible to forget.
Anger Management 3 Tour with Eminem, 50 Cent, Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz, G-Unit, D12, Obie Trice and Stat Quo; July 14, Pepsi Center; $55-$75, Ticketmaster.
