rpk (12/18/82)
ABC at the Metro, Boston, Massachusetts -- 17 December 1982 If you have heard any of the lavish pop tunes from this British group's album The Lexicon of Love, like ``Poison Arrow'' or the ``Look Of Love,'' you might wonder if the studio environment is neccessary for the hooks and interesting sounds to reach out and grab you. Well, the group still manages to pull a great sound live, with a little help. Besides the four main members of the group (vocals, guitar, drums, saxaphone), there were: one backup singer (a woman with a fine voice and a marvelous stage presence), a bassist, two keyboardists, two other horn players (cornet and saxaphone), five violinists (or maybe four one one viola player, I'm not quite sure) and a cellist. The Metro, by the way, has a rather small stage. The show started off with the string section playing an overture from the album's tunes. (Technical detail: although there were no major problems with the violin sound, putting acoustic stringed instruments though pickups still takes a way quite a bit. Also, the section was off tune a little at the beginning.) As the band (well, maybe you could call it an orchestra at this point) assembled onstage, the overture built up into ``Show Me,'' the first song on the album, and at last, Mr. Martin Fry, the group's leader, bounded onto the stage and started a very good concert. I was amazed at the tightness of the live arrangements -- although they were close to the record, the songs were also allowed to stretch out into comfortable grooves. As the band members gyrated to bopped to the music, so did the audience. After a few uptempo numbers (like ``Date Stamp'' and ``Many Happy Returns''), the pace was slowed. Mr. Fry sang a nice torch-y ballad (not an original) highlighted by glamourous jazz piano flourishes and a smoking cornet solo. Then came ``Theme from Mantrap,'' essentially a slowed-down version of ``Poison Arrow.' (It is the B-side of ``The Look Of Love'' single in America.) Although the crowd's attention may have wandered a little during the first slow song, when people strated to recognise the words from ``Poison Arrow,'' they quieted down. After a smooth rendition of ``All Of My Heart,'' things picked up again. Even the obligatory meet-the-band number was interesting (how did you work a six-piece string section into a funk/pop ensemble ?). The band closed the set with ``4 Ever 2 Gether'' and the ``Look Of Love'' for a rousing climax. The encore was ``Poison Arrow,'' and the crowd wanted more. Mr. Fry is a very charismatic performer. His voice is not extraordinary, but he uses it to great effect. He reminds of David Bowie in looks. He is very witty, to boot. The saxaphonist of the group was also very interesting, jumping around the stage and genuinely having fun. As pop concerts go, this one had everything you could ask for... Robert P. Krajewski UUCP: ...!genradbo!mitccc!rpk ARPA: RpK@MC