It seems to be the time for nostalgia tours. I’m personally relishing the chance to see so many of my favourite acts of the ‘90s doing their thing. Hot on the heels of Alanis Morissette’s outstanding show, I found myself heading to Sydney once again to catch Boyz II Men and TLC, or at least what remained of these ‘90s acts, at The Star.
Yo! Mafia seemed a strange choice for an opener on paper. I couldn’t imagine a DJ would be the right choice for a concert with allocated seating. So much so that I regretfully didn’t rush my dinner to see the start of her act. But she’s some DJ. Supreme transitions and such cleverness in weaving together the ‘90s music and TV show snippets we all loved. The big screen added some visual appeal to her set which proved to be just the right entrée for our night.
Boyz II Men and TLC were such acclaimed ‘90s acts that they shared headlining rights on this bill, switching up the order each night to keep us guessing. The lads from Philly were on first, much to the excitement of my Philadelphia-born and raised husband. These guys were heroes for him growing up, and it’s been a while since I saw him so animated at a show. They’re a three-piece now, but aside from missing those iconic sexy speaking parts in a few songs they’ve really lost nothing. Except, as Wanye joked, his hair. But their boy band moves are right on point, and those voices utterly sublime. Individually, Wanye, Nate, and Shawn have some of the best soul voices in the business. Put them together though, and those harmonies are off the charts.
Watching their set, I was reminded just how dominant Boyz II Men were in the ‘90s. We sang along with hit after hit, although none garnered the rapturous reactions of “I’ll Make Love To You” and “End of the Road.” There were a few surprises too, from the rare inclusion of one of my favourites, “Doin’ Just Fine” to a string of notable covers. I never imagined we’d see Shawn and Nate playing guitars, or that I’d hear the vocal trio busting out tracks like “Are You Gonna Go My Way” and “Come Together.” Moments like these are why live gigs are so exciting. Speaking of covers, I was a little disappointed to hear nothing from Boyz II Men’s latest album Under the Streetlight, the 2017 release which sees them paying tribute to early soul music. However, it’s hard to find too much fault in a set with so much heart.
Boyz II Men were the drawcard on the bill for me, so in a way it was a little bit of an anticlimax to see them first. But TLC certainly gave us a spectacular, with dancers and projections on the big screen. The remaining members, T-Boz and Chili, are also still at the top of their game. While their vocals have never been as stratospheric as Boyz II Men’s, they sounded tight. They’re also still a creative force; recent releases “Way Back” and “Haters” went down just as easily as any of the earlier material the crowd lapped up. I was moved to my feet along with everyone else when they busted out big guns like “Waterfalls” and “No Scrubs.” I might not have been in raptures over TLC, the way I was with Boyz II Men, but they certainly impressed me.
The ‘90s might be long gone, but it’s exciting that through gigs like this we can all go back for just a little while.
Boyz II Men and TLC play Rochford Wines in the Yarra Valley tonight.
Image source: own photos