There are certain products that stay strong even in hard times: sugar, smut and tobacco, for example. To this, I’d like to add the product known as “nostalgia.”
My theory is supported by the showing at Wednesday nightap and show at , where countless 50-somethings (and a surprising number of teenage born-too-lates in full “Love is a Battlefield” regalia) shelled out $60 per ticket to take in an evening of iconic ’80s rock.
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The focus of REO Speedwagon’s set was the 30th anniversary of “High Infidelity.” To set the mood, the pre-set music was a clever mock-up of an early ’80s era radio appearance by the band. Between era-appropriate tracks like Tom Petty and AC/DC, the “DJ” chattered about such timely events as the advent of MTV and Ronald Reagan’s recent election. Cheesy, yes, but these kinds of shows are all about the ways in which the past is remembered, not the way it truly was.
REO burst onto the stage with “Don’t Let Him Go,” with their trademark (but nevertheless, surprising) energy. Kevin Cronin dominates the stage with his small, yet dynamic presence, and never lets up. One minute he’s at the piano, crooning a power ballad, the next he’s taking the mic stand from one corner of the stage to the other in his relentless mission to rock. “We drove from Chicago, through Iowa, Nebraska and Eastern Colorado with one mission in mind,” he said in one between-song monologue, “We came here to party!”
And party they did, through all of the hits, a massive four- (five? six?) song encore, finally closing out the night with “Riding the Storm Out.” REO Speedwagon’s set hit exactly the notes it needed to — heavy on the A-sides, a handful of Colorado references, between-song-banter about the old days and a constant stream of video from their ’80s heyday.
While she may be a few pounds heavier and about a half octave lower than at her peak, Pat Benatar still carries herself with full knowledge of her own badassery. “We’ve got a big list to go through tonight,” she said, “But we’re just gonna keep going until they kick us out.”
Taking a slightly more rare approach to her set, Benatar mixed it up with a bluesy, acoustic version of “You Better Run” and throwing in a few lesser-known songs such as “All Fired Up.” Reluctantly agreeing to sing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” she asked the audience to sing the parts of the song she didn’t like, and got the crowd to wave their cell phones like a sea of fireflies to “We Belong.” Finishing up with “Heartbreaker,” Benatar asked us to care for our families and not drive drunk, then gracefully left the stage.
We may be in a recession, but it seems one can still buy nostalgia for the price of a ticket to Red Rocks. And quickly judging the crowd on my way out, I didn’t see much in the way of buyers’ remorse.
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Cassandra Schoon is a Denver freelance writer and regular Reverb contributor.
John Leyba is a Denver Post photojournalist and regular Reverb contributor.
