Do I hang around and try to pretend that I'm really over you...
Suffice it to say, I've been incredibly nervous and apprehensive about the show Human Nature had planned for their 25th Anniversary/Jukebox Tour. I initially felt they should have been two different productions and, consequently, that too little thought had gone into it. After all, they celebrated their 25th anniversary in November of last year.
Ever since tickets went on sale six months ago, I have been on a downward spiral of frustration that only Friday night's show at Jupiter's Casino on the Gold Coast could either end or justify. I'd like to say that I went in with an open mind, but that would be a lie. Despite everyone raving about what a great show it was, I couldn't actually bring myself to believe that this wasn't just another Motown-saturated affair.
I was not prepared for such a comprehensive and extensive set-list of songs from their long-standing career. I was not prepared for the lack of back-up singers (which have been prevalent in their last several trips down under). I was not prepared for the inclusion of a small brass section. Most of all, I was not prepared for a show that would have to go down as one of the best they've EVER put together. It was the very thing I wanted more than anything but didn't dare hope for.
They cut the Motown songs right back. They included all the Jukebox songs. They did old favourites. They broke the show up with solos and a mini showcase. There was a capella, there were never-before-heard songs, there was dancing, there were costume changes. The show seamlessly wove their Jukebox repertoire into their roots as a doo wop group, and even gave the audience a taste of their humble beginnings as a barbershop quartet. They did something I've never seen from them, which was leave song choices up to chance with a spin-wheel. But I'm getting ahead of myself...
The show opens with a video that cuts together footage from their 4Trax days, the beginnings of Human Nature, interviews, tour footage, and international promos, interwoven with fan stories and messages. Andrew, Mike, Toby, and Phil appear atop the platform in front of the screen as silhouettes, then launch into the opening track, Get Ready. It's an appropriate title as the audience is about to witness a spectacular two-hour showcase featuring twenty five years of material from Australia's premier male vocal group.
Without missing a beat, they delve right into their archive of classics from the nineties; Don't Cry, Every Time You Cry, and Wishes (an alternate version, originally performed on their 2000 tour) are still crowd favourites after over a decade. A trinket box of nostalgia brings about a recording of a 4Trax demo cassette (In The Good Old Summertime), a barbershop performance of Yes, Sir! That's My Baby and an ever-rousing rendition of People Get Ready.
Then it's time for the chocolate wheel - apparently stolen from their days playing RSL clubs - which they've converted into the 'Human Nature Jumping Jukebox Wheel of Brilliant Ballbusting Boyband Hits'. The wheel has been divided into sections with five songs from their earlier days, including Got It Goin' On, Tellin' Everybody, Last To Know, He Don't Love You, and When We Were Young. They spin the wheel three times and perform whatever the ticker lands on. Mike donning a curly wig for their "rigged" performance of Got It Goin' On is the cherry on top of a trip down memory lane.
Phil takes centre stage as the others disappear and he performs an absolutely rocking version of the Beatles hit, Got To Get You Into My life. The Tierney brothers perform a showcase of four songs they wrote for the group - Counting Down, Whisper Your Name, Always Be With You, and Don't Say Goodbye - with little more than their harmonies and a Casio keyboard. And Toby shows off his crooning and dancing skills with a smooth Sway, complete with cha-cha.
Their mentor of several years, Smokey Robinson, appears via a pre-recorded video to talk about Motown and introduce them as, "My boys - Human Nature" while they perform a My Girl interlude before bringing out the big guns in ABC, Stop! In The Name of Love (complete with audience participation dance moves), and a fantastic closer before intermission, Dancing In The Streets.
The second act is dedicated to their latest album offering, Jukebox, and opens with a recreation of their Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow film clip, featuring a pair of ballroom dancers. Wonderful World is next and, after being given a lesson in the origins of doo-wop, they give an example of the harmony breakdown with a rearranged Under The Boardwalk. Their haunting Stand By Me becomes even more poignant as its original writer and performer, Ben E. King, passed away in the middle of their tour. And the dancers return for an original written in the style of these classic 50s ballads, End of Days.
A costume change sees the lads return in varsity jackets emblazoned with their names, the number 25, and 'Human Nature'. They take their spot under a streetlamp as a black and white video depicts an alley with snow flakes falling in the background and perform an a capella of Only You. They're shortly joined by the Jukebox Heroes rhythm section and broken down versions of Stay, All About The Bass, and Little Bitty Pretty One have the audience bopping and clapping along. They strip off their jackets to reveal their once trademark black tees and pants look for I Only Have Eyes For You.
There's another costume change as the dancers and the backing band take centre stage for a swing-centric showcase of their talents. And when Human Nature return, it's with spiffy gold suits and an electric Beatles classic, Twist And Shout. Good Lovin' follows, with a splice of La Bamba thrown in for good measure. Their show-stopping Unchained Melody brings the crowd to a standing ovation. Most stay on their feet for the Motown trilogy of Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Uptight, and Reach Out to close the show.
They return for an encore which features an a capella of Earth Angel, the first song they ever sang together as a group twenty five (and a half) years ago. And get the venue on their feet one last time for the uptempo favourite, Runaround Sue.
------------
ACT 1
Get Ready (while it's an electric opening, this was not a great start at my first show; I didn't really want to hear Motown and I don't even know the words to this song!)
Don't Cry (basically, from this moment on, they had me - hook, line, and sinker)
Every Time You Cry
Wishes
In The Good Old Summertime (montage)
Yes, Sir! That's My Baby!
People Get Ready
Last To Know (Friday night on the Gold Coast, Friday night in Sydney, Saturday night in Melbourne, Sunday night in Sydney)
When We Were Young (Sunday night on the Gold Coast, Wednesday night in Sydney, Thursday night in Sydney)
He Don't Love You (Friday night on the Gold Coast, Sunday night on the Gold Coast, Wednesday/Thursday night in Sydney)
Tellin' Everybody (Friday night in Sydney, Saturday night in Melbourne, Sunday night in Sydney)
Got It Goin' On
When You Say You Love Me / Cruel (Friday night on the Gold Coast)
Got To Get You Into My Life
Counting Down
Whisper Your Name
Always Be With You
Don't Say Goodbye
Sway
My Girl (interlude)
ABC
Stop! In the Name of Love
Dancing In The Street
ACT 2
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
Wonderful World
Under the Boardwalk
Stand By Me
End of Days
Only You
Stay
All About That Bass
Little Bitty Pretty One
I Only Have Eyes For You
Twist And Shout
Good Lovin'
La Bamba
Unchained Melody
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Uptight (Everything's Alright)
Reach Out (I'll Be There)
ENCORE
Earth Angel
Runaround Sue
------------
Mike has always been a little shy, but he's come right into his own on this tour and has provided some of the funniest unrehearsed lines:
- After Phil rigs the wheel to land on Got It Goin' On, they mention they've found something in the archive box that concerns him. His muttered reply on the Gold Coast was, "Overalls?"
- Just before he started Counting Down with Andrew on Sunday night (Jupiters), he turned to Andrew after some brotherly banter and said, "I'm sick of you."
Andrew: I was on the top bunk.
Mike: I was on the bottom.
Andrew: Obviously.
Toby actually dropped his microphone during his song and dance on the Thursday night in Sydney, but he recovered wonderfully, blaming Masha's excellent dancing.
------------
The Social Media.
The Fan Girl.
The Jackets.
The Top Five.
Why I Loved It.
Ever since tickets went on sale six months ago, I have been on a downward spiral of frustration that only Friday night's show at Jupiter's Casino on the Gold Coast could either end or justify. I'd like to say that I went in with an open mind, but that would be a lie. Despite everyone raving about what a great show it was, I couldn't actually bring myself to believe that this wasn't just another Motown-saturated affair.
I was not prepared for such a comprehensive and extensive set-list of songs from their long-standing career. I was not prepared for the lack of back-up singers (which have been prevalent in their last several trips down under). I was not prepared for the inclusion of a small brass section. Most of all, I was not prepared for a show that would have to go down as one of the best they've EVER put together. It was the very thing I wanted more than anything but didn't dare hope for.
They cut the Motown songs right back. They included all the Jukebox songs. They did old favourites. They broke the show up with solos and a mini showcase. There was a capella, there were never-before-heard songs, there was dancing, there were costume changes. The show seamlessly wove their Jukebox repertoire into their roots as a doo wop group, and even gave the audience a taste of their humble beginnings as a barbershop quartet. They did something I've never seen from them, which was leave song choices up to chance with a spin-wheel. But I'm getting ahead of myself...
The show opens with a video that cuts together footage from their 4Trax days, the beginnings of Human Nature, interviews, tour footage, and international promos, interwoven with fan stories and messages. Andrew, Mike, Toby, and Phil appear atop the platform in front of the screen as silhouettes, then launch into the opening track, Get Ready. It's an appropriate title as the audience is about to witness a spectacular two-hour showcase featuring twenty five years of material from Australia's premier male vocal group.
Without missing a beat, they delve right into their archive of classics from the nineties; Don't Cry, Every Time You Cry, and Wishes (an alternate version, originally performed on their 2000 tour) are still crowd favourites after over a decade. A trinket box of nostalgia brings about a recording of a 4Trax demo cassette (In The Good Old Summertime), a barbershop performance of Yes, Sir! That's My Baby and an ever-rousing rendition of People Get Ready.
Then it's time for the chocolate wheel - apparently stolen from their days playing RSL clubs - which they've converted into the 'Human Nature Jumping Jukebox Wheel of Brilliant Ballbusting Boyband Hits'. The wheel has been divided into sections with five songs from their earlier days, including Got It Goin' On, Tellin' Everybody, Last To Know, He Don't Love You, and When We Were Young. They spin the wheel three times and perform whatever the ticker lands on. Mike donning a curly wig for their "rigged" performance of Got It Goin' On is the cherry on top of a trip down memory lane.
Phil takes centre stage as the others disappear and he performs an absolutely rocking version of the Beatles hit, Got To Get You Into My life. The Tierney brothers perform a showcase of four songs they wrote for the group - Counting Down, Whisper Your Name, Always Be With You, and Don't Say Goodbye - with little more than their harmonies and a Casio keyboard. And Toby shows off his crooning and dancing skills with a smooth Sway, complete with cha-cha.
Their mentor of several years, Smokey Robinson, appears via a pre-recorded video to talk about Motown and introduce them as, "My boys - Human Nature" while they perform a My Girl interlude before bringing out the big guns in ABC, Stop! In The Name of Love (complete with audience participation dance moves), and a fantastic closer before intermission, Dancing In The Streets.
The second act is dedicated to their latest album offering, Jukebox, and opens with a recreation of their Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow film clip, featuring a pair of ballroom dancers. Wonderful World is next and, after being given a lesson in the origins of doo-wop, they give an example of the harmony breakdown with a rearranged Under The Boardwalk. Their haunting Stand By Me becomes even more poignant as its original writer and performer, Ben E. King, passed away in the middle of their tour. And the dancers return for an original written in the style of these classic 50s ballads, End of Days.
A costume change sees the lads return in varsity jackets emblazoned with their names, the number 25, and 'Human Nature'. They take their spot under a streetlamp as a black and white video depicts an alley with snow flakes falling in the background and perform an a capella of Only You. They're shortly joined by the Jukebox Heroes rhythm section and broken down versions of Stay, All About The Bass, and Little Bitty Pretty One have the audience bopping and clapping along. They strip off their jackets to reveal their once trademark black tees and pants look for I Only Have Eyes For You.
There's another costume change as the dancers and the backing band take centre stage for a swing-centric showcase of their talents. And when Human Nature return, it's with spiffy gold suits and an electric Beatles classic, Twist And Shout. Good Lovin' follows, with a splice of La Bamba thrown in for good measure. Their show-stopping Unchained Melody brings the crowd to a standing ovation. Most stay on their feet for the Motown trilogy of Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Uptight, and Reach Out to close the show.
They return for an encore which features an a capella of Earth Angel, the first song they ever sang together as a group twenty five (and a half) years ago. And get the venue on their feet one last time for the uptempo favourite, Runaround Sue.
------------
ACT 1
Get Ready (while it's an electric opening, this was not a great start at my first show; I didn't really want to hear Motown and I don't even know the words to this song!)
Don't Cry (basically, from this moment on, they had me - hook, line, and sinker)
Every Time You Cry
Wishes
In The Good Old Summertime (montage)
Yes, Sir! That's My Baby!
People Get Ready
Last To Know (Friday night on the Gold Coast, Friday night in Sydney, Saturday night in Melbourne, Sunday night in Sydney)
When We Were Young (Sunday night on the Gold Coast, Wednesday night in Sydney, Thursday night in Sydney)
He Don't Love You (Friday night on the Gold Coast, Sunday night on the Gold Coast, Wednesday/Thursday night in Sydney)
Tellin' Everybody (Friday night in Sydney, Saturday night in Melbourne, Sunday night in Sydney)
Got It Goin' On
When You Say You Love Me / Cruel (Friday night on the Gold Coast)
Got To Get You Into My Life
Counting Down
Whisper Your Name
Always Be With You
Don't Say Goodbye
Sway
My Girl (interlude)
ABC
Stop! In the Name of Love
Dancing In The Street
ACT 2
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
Wonderful World
Under the Boardwalk
Stand By Me
End of Days
Only You
Stay
All About That Bass
Little Bitty Pretty One
I Only Have Eyes For You
Twist And Shout
Good Lovin'
La Bamba
Unchained Melody
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Uptight (Everything's Alright)
Reach Out (I'll Be There)
ENCORE
Earth Angel
Runaround Sue
------------
Mike has always been a little shy, but he's come right into his own on this tour and has provided some of the funniest unrehearsed lines:
- After Phil rigs the wheel to land on Got It Goin' On, they mention they've found something in the archive box that concerns him. His muttered reply on the Gold Coast was, "Overalls?"
- Just before he started Counting Down with Andrew on Sunday night (Jupiters), he turned to Andrew after some brotherly banter and said, "I'm sick of you."
Andrew: I was on the top bunk.
Mike: I was on the bottom.
Andrew: Obviously.
Toby actually dropped his microphone during his song and dance on the Thursday night in Sydney, but he recovered wonderfully, blaming Masha's excellent dancing.
------------
The Social Media.
The Fan Girl.
The Jackets.
The Top Five.
Why I Loved It.