Summer of music nostalgia

I suppose it's more of a money making venture for them rather than a true concern for filling my need for some real good music this summer, but I am thoroughly enjoying the return of many of the popular 80s bands for all of these "reunion tours". Sure, Sting will probably be able to finance that kitchen remodel on his 20 room villa in Italy once this leg of the tour is over, but how cool has it been to revisit my childhood musically this summer?

My sister has joined me on the Nostaliga Tour, matching me penny for penny on these bargain shows (or not as much of a bargain, in the case of The Police) in our quest to relive those teenage days on our bedroom floor listening to the songs of these bands spill out of my one speaker purple radio. It's amazing how quickly the lyrics come back, as if they haven't been sitting dusty in the recesses of our brains for the last twenty years.

Exhibit One: The Psychedelic Furs, The Fixx and The Alarm joined together a few weeks ago to send us in the way-back-machine. In short, is was phenomenal. I have somehow managed to always miss The Alarm when they come through here live, but it almost seems fitting to finally see Mike Peters live now that he's beaten cancer for a second time. The Alarm's 45-minute set was like constant lift-off, never leveling out, always surging further skyward, and finally, at the end of the set, breaking free of gravity with "Sixty Eight Guns". I'm not sure I could have mentally, physically or emotionally handled a longer set, but I would like to try!

The Fixx and The Furs were highly entertaining, but admittedly, a bit a of a letdown after The Alarm. They delivered their big hits so that the synapses connected in the nostalgia portion of our brains and we experienced instant recall of songs that reminded us of 8th grade dances, car trips with Mom and Dad and taping music using a portable cassette player with a microphone held up to a stereo speaker. How far we've come....

Next up, The Police this weekend, then Squeeze, then Live/Collective Soul/Counting Crows, and then the grand-daddy of all nostalgia shows: Barry Manilow. It's been an interesting summer for concerts, but I'm guessing this trip down memory lane is as satisfying for us as it is profitable for the bands dusting off their oldies one more time.