It is not everyday you find a couple in their 60s cheering, clapping and shaking a leg through an entire concert. Last Saturday’s tribute show to the Bee Gees however, was a different story. For once, a concert saw 20-somethings form the minority, while grey haired and evidently agile grandparents moved closer to the stage, as a wave of nostalgia took over the courtyard at Phoenix MarketCity in Velachery.
“Saturday Night Fever and Stayin’ Alive brings back a lot of memories,” beamed one of the fans in the crowd, giving this reporter a thumbs up. As it turns out, the Bee Geez trio who hail from the UK and Scotland not only brought back the music of the beloved band from the 70s, but also their popular flared pants!
With hits such as How deep is your love, Stayin’ Alive and Nights on Broadway...heads swayed, feet tapped and the magic of the disco and pop legends came towering down on a warm evening.
The familiar entry music of their famous song Words, elicited equal cheer and got them singing along. Towards the end of the song which went — ‘It’s only words, and words are all I have, To take your heart away’ — the cheering crowd were so hit with nostalgia and an overwhelming fervour for more, that they actually yelled encore again and again, thus making the band repeat it four times over!
With this overwhelming reception to the tribute from the young and old alike, the tribute band’s frontman was thrilled to have such a resounding response to their first performance in the city. “This is our first performance in Chennai and we loved to perform at Phoenix Market City. The audience knew all the songs and it worked out great for us,” said David Gray.
This is the latest in a series of retro concerts that the mall in Velachery has been organising in their courtyard — previous editions have seen tribute bands of ABBA and other popular bands, beside the Global Isai festival being organised. A with most of these concerts, the crowd was a judicious mix of both elderly Bee Gees lovers as well as young fans who had stopped by during their shopping routine.
Feeling nostalgic and content, the audience walked out of the concert with a smile and humming the songs, which were possibly a vital part of their youth.