Saturday, April 14, 2018

Day 276- Midtown Men with Pittsburgh Symphony POPS-Nostalgic Night


I have recently made the Pittsburgh Symphony part of my empty-nest repertoire (Day 266 and especially the POPS, that pair an array of artist  with our Grammy award winning Pittsburgh Symphony (Day 229). The Midtown Men are four original cast members from the hit Broadway show Jersey Boys. I was excited  to experience a little Four Seasons, Beatles, Motown, and more, as they harmonized, accompanied by our fantastic symphony.  This was a nostalgic night through the 60’s.



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Reflection
The Midtown Men, dressing alike in tailored dinner jackets and stepping in unison, exuded the class, sophistication, and  charm, of  the 1960’s  rock decade. Opening with Get Ready (Temptations), this foursome energized the room with their infectious smiles and dancing that continued throughout their show (preview here).


Michael Longoria, Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, and J. Robert Spencer brought the signature  sound  of The Four Seasons to the stage as they performed Dawn, Big Girls Don't Cry/Sherry, and Can't Take My Eyes Off of You . These classics  all sounded so much bigger and bolder accompanied by the symphony under the direction of Todd Ellison.


The Midtown Men gave us some Beatles (Can't Buy Me Love,, Happy Together, In My Life), a little 60’s psychedelic sound (California Dreaming, Time of the Season, For What It’s Worth) and a medley of Motown. These four men  traded taking the lead vocal as the others  injected   potent harmonies. Combined with the  full sound of the symphony, they took us back to the “greatest decade in rock n’ roll.” -Oh What A Night -a nostalgic night!

(Midtown Men with  Pittsburgh Symphony at Heinz Hall runs April 13-15, 2018. For tickets go to Pittsburghsymphony.org. Don't miss the next POPS, May 11-13, 2018, Love-Lust & Rock n' Roll. )