Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Allstar Weekend; Melissa Manchester
BENT NIGHTS Special to the Online Edition of Windy City Times
by Vern Hester
2010-12-01

This article shared 3902 times since Wed Dec 1, 2010
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


The idea of Allstar Weekend, the latest in an endless line of fresh-faced boy bands ( starting with the Osmonds right up to the Jonas Brothers ) , grosses me out. Boy bands are clean-scrubbed, choreographed, ( seemingly ) pure at heart, and calculated to send their target audience ( pre-teenage and teenage girls ) into a tizzy. The intention is to pander to an audience that wants to be pandered to as well as to inspire the approval of parents so the cash flow stays wide open for those $100 concert tickets and that subscription to Tiger Beat Magazine.

Heaven forbid if those parents knew years ago what we know now—that cute little Ricky Martin and Lance Bass are butt pirates and that apple-cheeked Justin Timberlake would bring sexy back with his dick in a box. As pre-packaged teen dreams, boy bands are the ultimate in cold hard cynicism; even animated bands like the Archies and Josie and the Pussycats were far more genuine because you knew they weren't real. Being a hard wired 100% homo conditioned me not to like Allstar Weekend; after all, I'm not the sort who goes trolling for twinks and all that squealing and seat-wetting was never my thing. For me it was entirely beside the point if they were good or not.

Well, it is the point because they are actually very good. Yes, they're fresh-scrubbed; yes, they pandered although in an inoffensive way; and, yes, their full-length Suddenly Yours ( Hollywood Records ) is two notches above bubble-gum pop, albeit high quality bubblegum pop. And, yes ( more importantly ) , the mob of girls at the Lights Festival show screamed there heads off. Besides all that, "Hey Princess" was streamlined, smooth, had clean hooks and was to the point; pop generally doesn't come any blunter than this. And while vocalist Zachery Porter kept clutching his chest for "throbbing romantic emphasis" during "A Different Side of Me" and proffered his devotion, you couldn't say that he didn't mean every word. Onstage "The Weekend" turned into a rowdy bopper but the clincher was "Dance Fever," which indicated that these guys had spent some quality time with vintage Giorgio Moroder. Better still, rather than eschewing snappy dance moves, blocking and choreography, Allstar Weekend had a spontaneity that was all bounce, jolliness and fizz. Obviously, they were too busy having fun to be cynical or calculated; after all, today's Allstar Weekend festival tour is tomorrow's New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys monster event.

For a far more refined quality of pop, Melissa Manchester's show at SPACE the week before was almost from another planet. Where Allstar Weekend's pop was instantly disposable, Manchester's was of a heady tradition that stretched back nearly a century. Cabaret, Cole Porter, Peter Allen, Rogers and Hammerstein, Ella Fitzgerald, Bacharach and David, Phil Spector, jazz, Sondheim, the Gershwins, Broadway, girl groups ... it was hard to imagine if she left anything out. As if it weren't enough to have Justin Hayford as her opener and her own compositions on top of everything else made this show beyond memorable. To see her on this rare tour at SPACE, one of two of the most intimate and elegant venues in Illinois ( the other being the Gary and Laura Maurer Concert Hall at the Old Town School of Folk Music ) made this an event on a grand scale.

What has she been up to all this time? She's been writing and performing for theater ( I Wrote A Letter to My Love with Jeff Sweet ) and film ( the score for Disney's Lady and the Tramp II; Scamp's Adventure ) while enjoying matrimony and motherhood. Manchester joked that her kids insisted that she go on this tour to get her out of the house, which was as good a reason as any.

Once she sat down at her piano though the music poured out and had the effect of ether on this SRO crowd. There were "Whenever I Call You Friend," "Through the Eyes of Love," "Come In from the Rain," a fiery "I Know Who I Am" from Tyler Perry's For Colored Girls, an intoxicating "A Mother's Prayer," a lilting "Angels Dancing" and stories—lots and lots of stories. She related how back in the early '70s she and writing partner Carole Bayer Sager submitted a demo for their song, "Midnight Blue," to Dionne Warwick's producers in hopes that she would record it. Instead of the expected rejection they were surprised to get an inquiry as to who the voice on the tape belonged to. Of course it became Manchester's first top-10 hit and she joked that she had no idea if Warwick had heard it yet. From there she paid homage to her influences and stamped them with her own personality; a slow-burning "Son of a Preacher Man" ( Dusty Springfield ) , a riveting "Being Alive" ( Sondheim ) , a pristine "Face the Music and Dance" ( Porter ) , a patient "Something Wonderful" ( Rogers and Hammerstein ) and a reworked a capella take on "Be My Baby" ( the Ronettes ) .

With Susan Holder ( on backing vocals ) and Stephan Oberhoff ( on guitar ) "Don't Cry Out Loud" revealed why this show was worth waiting a decade. A tear-yanking ballad of the most sincere and emotionally honest type, the lyrics go right to the point of romantic abandonment and disappointment. Peter Allen's composing is so lacking in contrivance and flab and is so economical that it makes most recent power ballads sound gimmicky, overblown and toothless. Where any lesser diva would blow out SPACE's brick back wall on the dramatic choruses, Manchester held back and elegantly pirouetted through them. By letting the words do the talking she took ownership of the room with astounding grace and control. Who cared if the song was one of her biggest hits or that you'd heard it a million times through the decades? What she did with it here pushed this audience to the edges of their seats and kept them hanging on every word.

Head's up: Fantasia will be performing at the Auditorium Theater Thursday, Dec. 30, while Robyn will be back for a show at the Riviera Theater on Feb. 11, 2011.


This article shared 3902 times since Wed Dec 1, 2010
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Shining a spotlight on girl in red 2024-04-30
- Bathed in a crimson-gelled spotlight, girl in red entered the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom on the night of April 27. She was accompanied by a backing band and wore a striped suit jacket. For those that ...


Gay News

Artemis Singers presents June 8 "Never Doubt: We Are Here" Pride Concert & Dance 2024-04-27
--From a press release - CHICAGO─Artemis Singers, www.artemissingers.org, Chicago's lesbian feminist chorus, presents "Never Doubt: We Are Here" Pride Concert & Dance, Saturday, June 8, at First Congregational Church of Evanston UCC, 1445 Hinman Ave. ...


Gay News

Navy Pier to mark 40th anniversary of Chicago house music with summer-long programming 2024-04-26
--From a press release - CHICAGO — Navy Pier announced plans to celebrate House music's Chicago roots with a summer full of programming paying homage to the energy, music, and dance of Black and Latino youth on Chicago's south and west ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ 'Priscilla,' Tony nods, Oscars, Ncuti Gatwa, Jonathan Bailey, GLAAD event 2024-04-26
- Stephan Elliott—who directed the cult classic The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert—said a sequel "is happening" and that the original movie's stars (Terence Stamp, Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving) are back "on board" 30 ...


Gay News

THEATER 'Mamma Mia!' returns to Chicago with 'Daddyhunt' star Jim Newman 2024-04-24
- "Who's your daddy?" That's the key plot question driving the global hit Mamma Mia! The global smash jukebox musical famously features the song hits of Swedish pop group ABBA, and it returns for a three-week run ...


Gay News

Local queer opera composer premiering her first show, a coming-of-age tale with LGBTQ+ themes 2024-04-23
- A Lake View woman is debuting her first opera as a composer, a coming-of-age story with LGBTQ+ themes. Gillian Rae Perry, a fellow with the Chicago Opera Theater's Vanguard program for emerging artists, composed The Weight ...


Gay News

Cher, Dionne among Rock & Roll HoF honorees; Mariah snubbed 2024-04-22
- On April 21, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced its 2024 inductees, per an ABC press release. In the performer category, the inductees are Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter ...


Gay News

The importance of becoming Ernest: Out actor Christopher Sieber dishes about the Death Becomes Her musical 2024-04-20
- Out and proud actor Christopher Sieber is part of the team bringing Death Becomes Her to life as a stage musical in the Windy City this spring. Sieber plays Ernest Menville, who was originally portrayed by ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Celine Dion, 'The People's Joker,' Billy Porter, Patti LuPone, 'Strange Way' 2024-04-19
- I Am: Celine Dion will stream on Prime Video starting June 25, according to a press release. The film is described as follows: "Directed by Academy Award nominee Irene Taylor, I Am: Celine Dion gives us ...


Gay News

Kokandy Productions now accepting submissions for Chicago Musical Theater Fest returning Aug. 8-11 2024-04-18
--From a press release - CHICAGO (April 18, 2024) — Kokandy Productions is pleased to open submissions for the 2024 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, returning this summer following a four-year hiatus. Kokandy is thrilled to ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Jerrod Carmichael, '9-1-1' actor, Kayne the Lovechild, STARZ shows, Cynthia Erivo 2024-04-12
- Gay comedian/filmmaker Jerrod Carmichael criticized Dave Chappelle, opening up about the pair's ongoing feud and calling out Chappelle's opinions on the LGBTQ+ community, PinkNews noted, citing an Esquire article. Carmichael ...


Gay News

Judith Butler focuses on perceptions of gender at Chicago Humanities Festival talk 2024-04-10
- In an hour-long program filled with dry humor—not to mention lots of audience laughter—philosopher, scholar and activist Judith Butler (they/them) spoke in depth on their new book at Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., on ...


Gay News

Andersonville Chamber announces Andersonville Midsommarfest entertainment lineup 2024-04-09
--From a press release - CHICAGO (April 8, 2024) — The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce (ACC) is pleased to announce the full entertainment line-up for Andersonville Midsommarfest, one of Chicago's oldest and most beloved summer ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Outfest, Chita Rivera, figure skaters, letter, playwright dies 2024-04-05
- For more than four decades, Outfest has been telling LGBTQ+ stories through the thousands of films screened during its annual Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival—but that event may have a different look this year because ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Dionne Warwick, OUTshine, Ariana DeBose, 'Showgirls,' 'Harlem' 2024-03-29
Video below - Iconic singer Dionne Warwick was honored for her decades-long advocacy work for people living with HIV/AIDS at a star-studded amfAR fundraising gala in Palm Beach, per the Palm Beach Daily News. Warwick received the "Award of ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.