By JESSICA NEU
The first thing you will notice upon entering Heinz Hall for the PSO’s latest installment of PNC POPS, Tropical Rock For 5 O’Clock Somewhere, is the vibrant colors. The ushers are adorned in bright leis, and some of the musicians are wearing bright Hawaiian shirts. The lights are perfectly affixed above the stage in hues of warm reds, pinks, oranges, and yellows, creating the most magical sunset you have ever seen indoors. Led by maestro Jack Everly and pianist John Boswell, who appropriately wears a captain’s hat, we set sail on the Mon as the PSO starts the party with a dynamic rendition of Buster Poindexter’s “Hot, Hot Hot.” Our boat is destined for the tropics as vocalists Scott Coulter, Travis Birch, Chris Blem, Shaleah Adkisson, and Max Chernin take the stage for an effortlessly cool version of the Beach Boys’ tropical anthem “Kokomo.” Each singer takes their turn singing lead, but Adkisson in particular finds a comfortable pocket in Mike Love’s iconic smooth tenor and falsetto. Colter, who also served as the narrator, explained that the genre of tropical rock is a beautiful fusion of rock, pop, reggae, country, island, and calypso music. Of course, the godfather of the genre is the late, great Jimmy Buffett, but so many other brilliant artists have left their mark on it.
As the show sailed on, I kept feeling as though I was listening to one of my favorite albums. There were, of course, the “A side” songs. The hits. The songs everyone loves. All five vocalists breezed through Tropical Rock classics, including “Margaritaville,” “Fins,” and “It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere.” Together, vocalists and the PSO breezed through these hits like the “well-oiled hands” that Kenny Chesney sings about in his love song to the islands, “Old Blue Chair.”
As joyful as these songs were, the magic of Tropical Rock…came from the “B side” performances. The deep cuts on your favorite album that are not as readily familiar and sometimes forgotten. Adkisson again delighted audiences with the Drifter’s 1964 hit “Under the Boardwalk,” got the crowd in a dancing mood with Gloria Estefan’s “Conga,” and the nostalgic, deeply peaceful “Blue Bayou.” Blem took the lead for Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” which is also the first posthumous number one hit in the Billboard SoundScan era, as Redding was killed in a plane crash three days after recording the melancholic classic. The PSO elevated the serene song with a fuller arrangement than the traditional, laid-back, whistled intro. Harmonies were at the helm during a mashup of Bob Marley’s “One Love” and “Three Little Birds,” paired with “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Country music’s influence on tropical rock was apparent as country crooner Birch strummed his way through Kenny Chesney’s “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem.” All of these songs are independently hits but may not be the first numbers that come to mind when you think “tropical rock.” Therein lies the magic of this show. Tropical Rock For 5 O’Clock Somewhere opens your perspective on a somewhat marginalized genre. It helps you understand the musical spectrum that shaped tropical rock and the wide influence it has had on society over the past 60 years.
Of course, we cannot talk about tropical rock without acknowledging the aforementioned godfather, Jimmy Buffett. Parrot heads amassed last night in a showing that would have no doubt made Buffett proud. In addition to “Margaritaville” and “It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere,” Chernin brought Broadway to the tropics with Buffett’s “Come Monday.” Chernin’s vibrato felt like a gentle breeze coming off the shores and reminded us of the depth in Buffett’s music. Boswell’s gentle piano arrangement ushered in “Changes in Attitude, Changes in Latitude,” but the most profound moment of the evening came as Coulter introduced Buffett’s lesser-known song, “He Went to Paris.” The heartfelt story behind the song’s origins is a perfect metaphor for how a genre of music seemingly about partying can carry profundity that many may not consider.
Tropical Rock For 5 O’Clock Somewhere marks another PNC Pops performance in which the orchestra meshes with top 40 music to remind us that music is a unique and communicative experience. So grab your “fins to the left” and your “fins to the right” and set sail on this joyous adventure where the waters are a bit deeper than expected.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Pittsburgh Symphony’s PNC Pops presentation of Tropical Rock, For 5 O’clock Somewhere… at Heinz Hall has remaining performance on Saturday April 18th, 2016, at 7:30pm and Sunday, the 19th, at 2:30pm. For tickets visit: https://pittsburghsymphony.org/production/99134/tropical-rock
Categories: Arts and Ideas, Reviews
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