HADLEY. Strong and distinctive voice.
At the Grand Ballroom of the Solaire Restaurant and Casino recently, I rediscovered my moves. Not my dancing—I prefer to use Tony Hadley’s words. (He is the frontman of the ’80s group, Spandau Ballet, which reunites now and then for concerts.)
In a presscon at the Solaire, Hadley said he may be a bad dancer, but he has the moves. Reviewing YouTube videos of a younger Hadley, you get what he means. At Spandau Ballet’s prime, he didn’t dance—but, he had moves that gave you the impression that he was dancing.
The “myth” that Tony could dance well was perpetuated further by the infectious beat and rhythm that characterized Spandau Ballet’s music. It was danceable, a blend of soft rock and pop. Today, Hadley’s music still retains features of what it was, with an added touch of maturity.
This was evident in his recent concert at Solaire. The vocalists sang Spandau’s familiar songs such as “Round and Round,” “Only When You Leave,” “Lifeline,” “Through the Barricades” and, my personal favorite, “True.”
His concert was well-planned, with a mix of Spandau hits, self-penned compositions and John Legend and Michael Bublé. We were tickled when he sang a revival of the late Freddie Mercury—which is hard to do. But, Hadley’s voice is strong and distinctive.
‘Gold’
Throughout the concert, the audience unrelentingly pleaded for Hadley to sing “Gold,” Spandau’s biggest hit. But, he and his band couldn’t do it that time. He even feigned a false ending to his concert and left the stage with his band—but, people stayed put, sensing that he’d be back.
They were right: Hadley and his band returned shortly after, and sang his “last” song—which was not “Gold.” Then, he went into a long spiel, expressing his gratitude to the audience for coming, thanking some people, like two little children in the front row who were very sleepy (and whom he met on his flight to Manila). —And then, when you least expected it, he sang out, “Thank you for coming home, I’m sorry that the chairs are all worn”—and dived right into— “Gold!”