To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t sure how much I was going to enjoy the music because they do a lot of 80's music, of which I’m not a huge fan. But they definitely play the best of the 80's plus a whole mess of other stuff! No Big Country or (shudder) Tears for Fears. And I’ll even forgive them for playing Flock of Seagulls because Robert played a kickin’ drum solo in the middle of it. And Prince just because it amazed me that someone who can sing Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails can also do a pretty darn good imitation of The Artist Formerly Known as The Artist Formerly Known as...ah shit, I got lost...
As soon as Brett walked on stage in a kilt and announced that, because it was like 800 degrees in there, the pants had to go, I had a feeling we were in for a fun time. It was like playing music trivia (and sometimes movie trivia), trying to remember who did a song and what the name of it was and sometimes what 80's movie it was from or which movie Brett just quoted between songs. I’ll give you a sample of their song list here in a minute, but first let me say...
Brett has an awesome voice and a very large range. He sounds great singing anything from Gary Numan’s “Cars” to The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” (love the little dance they did on this one!) to The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues.” Jason ripped it up on guitar (“Voodoo Chile”) and vocals (he sang that really high part on The Buggles song). Valdo kicked some butt on bass and he’s really cool because I think he’s the only person (besides me) who actually watched me on the Studio 21 interview Friday. I already mentioned Robert’s drum solo on “I Ran”...he’s a really good drummer plus he’s got cool tube lights on his drums and pretty hair. And I didn’t catch who the guy was who joined them on keyboards for several songs, but he tore it up! Horatio something. (I’ll find out and add a note on who it was.) It’s not all that often that I hear a flawless performance...no sound problems, no off beats or flat notes, but this was one of those times.
Now, to really understand the variety these guys play, I’m going to ramble on a little here and give you what I wrote down of their sets. I probably missed a few, but I think I caught most of it.
First set: The Cars “Let’s Go,” The Cult “She Sells Sanctuary,” Maroon5 “Harder to Breathe,” Flock of Seagulls “I Ran,” OMD “If You Leave,” Depeche Mode “It’s No Good,” Gary Numan “Cars,” Rick Springfield “Jesse’s Girl,” Bryan Adams “Summer of ‘65,” The Boggles “Video Killed the Radio Star,” Radiohead “Creep,” Nickelback “Figured You Out,” and Black Crowes “Hard to Handle.”
Second set: Orgy “Blue Monday,” Modern English “Melt with You,” The Doors “Roadhouse Blues,” J. Geils Band “Centerfold,” The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army,” Erasure “Respect,” Soft Cell “Tainted Love,” Prince “Kiss,” The Romantics “What I Like About You,” Simple Minds “Don’t You Forget About Me,” Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf,” Bon Jovi “Dead or Alive,” and Wilson Pickett “Mustang Sally.”
Third set: Depeche Mode “Just Can’t Get Enough,” Frankie Goes to Hollywood “Relax,” The Commodores “Brick House,” Rick James “Superfreak,” Wild Cherry “Play That Funky Music,” Puddle of Mudd “She Hates Me,” Yaz “Don’t Go,” Nine Inch Nails “Closer,” The Toadies “Possum Kingdom,” Violent Femmes “Blister in the Sun,” Lit “My Own Worst Enemy,” Limp Bizkit “Break Stuff,” Beastie Boys “Fight for Your Right,” Lynyrd Skynyrd “Sweet Home Alabama,” and Stevie Ray Vaughan “Voodoo Chile.”
I had a great time, couldn’t stop movin’! Thanks to the girls who let me butt in and dance with them. Thanks to the bartender who, even though he was swamped, never made me wait for a beer. Thanks to Deja Vu for finding the best songs of the last 4 decades and playing them to perfection. I wish I’d gotten to hear them more with Brett, but I’m looking forward to what Brett does in the future and to hearing Deja Vu with their new singer Xavier (of 10Stick, The Bushmasters, SpitFire and I don’t even remember what other bands...very good singer and bass player.) According to their calendar, they’re playing at Buc O’Brians this Friday (Nov 11) and at The Place on the 19th. Check the calendar on Deja Vu’s website for future dates.
ADDED NOTE: The keyboardist was Jake Bernal, who used to play with them. They call him Horatio Sanz because he resembles the SNL comedian. Got it.