Men At Work

If reading about a Men At Work tour with a date at hand had been a nice surprise, the concert in Berlin, at the Columbia Theater, has been a greatly enjoyable one. Mind you, anyone who has been playing their music with honest dedication for over forty years can only be playing it better now, so the good execution of the pieces might not be what surprised me. Colin Hay is a professional with long experience, so I did expect no disappointment.

The surprise was to see that actually any Men At Work song from the first two albums still can be a great live act, and by that I mean almost each one, surely from the first two, less so for the third, showing signs of departing ways among members and with a higher melancholic vein in it. An even more emotional, soul revealing surprise, has been to hear myself singing basically each song from Men At Work all along, not even remembering when was last time I knew the lyrics: it was the case of "Children On Parade", a song that I had liked but very much forgotten. Hay and his band have rendered it impeccably in its heart melting glow of melancholy. In times where everybody around only "dug" the timeless hits (without knowing they were timeless already then) such as "Who Can It Be Now" and the piercingly iconic "Down Under" and the summery careless "Be Good Johnny" (a total of three world hits from one first album...), I found that "Touching The Untouchables", "Down By The Sea", "No Restriction", "No Sign Of Yesterday" to name just a few, had a depth of lyricism, musical and instrumental strength that could score well onto any prog-rock "refinement" scale. The concert has proven that, and Hay and its band have done so impeccably: "Be Good Johnny" has taken the audience in an exhilarating ride, showing no time patina on its solid rock. "Down Under", probably the most demanding tribute, has been arranged in an apparently less faithful arrangement, probably due to the unavoidable comparison with the playing and the presence of Greg Ham, as this was probably the song by which all of us might reminisce of Ham's stage presence (he wasn't the author though). Most of us, Men At Work long date aficionados have gotten knowledge of the absurd, destructive (and utterly pointless) lawsuit about the Kookaburra flute line and how this had a bearing in the late end of that brilliant and happy chap we all remember Greg was. But "Down Under" has turned to be again one of the high moments of the concert, it simply unleashed its charismatic friendly call onto the audience, who could not resist to the crisp beauty of this ballad. Here, though, I am definitely no objective judge: "Down Under" is like anything fried: you just like it whatever, there's no other way.

Hay is fun, he has a warm down to earth welcoming humour, setting a friendly atmosphere from start to finish into the event. He still, in spite of self irony, has a great voice, fitting most of the essentials of the songs that so much owed to its characteristic, personal finely grained coarse timbre. The poly-instrumentism of Scheila Gonzalez, heir of the responsibility of being Greg Ham on stage, is admirable: sax, flute and keyboards and vocals, Sheila has energy and presence of a real Man At Work, "or a woman if you are one". Another energy bundle is Cecilia Noel, who dances and mimics stories of the songs while singing with a primary contribution to the vocal parts, she definitely adds a higher part for the scenic presence of the band. A great bass solo by Yosmel Montejo in the end cue of the almost Pink-Floydian "No Sign Of Yesterday", crispy guitar solos are there aplenty all over, provided by both the refined and tasteful guitarist Mr Hay himself and from young San Miguel Perez and a nice surprise again: a drum solo, by Jimmy Branly, all three member of the Los Angeles based band working at present with Hay.

Thinking back, the stage was definitely a tick too small, acoustics came too "burned" in some points, at least very near to the stage where I was. If there is just one point where I might have wished a higher adherence to the Men At Work arrangements, this might be the slide guitar solo in "No Sign Of Yesterday": the sound of a bottleneck slide charges the original mood in a way that the even very enjoyable and very to the point solo of this version simply does not get.

Even if the concert is substantially a Men At Work act, Hay's solo songs have indeed provided for even more value to the experience, as a kind reminder that his work has moved on and his life has more colours and chords to offer and, as his songs do, to share with us. It helps putting things into perspective, which to me gives even more a sense of vitality to the Men At Work part: it feels much more as something that is still here alive and still "rocks", not just an act for nostalgic teens from the Eighties. Indeed there is nostalgia: those were times when hits were written by the heart and soul of real players and went straight to the heart and soul of the audience and into their life, becoming part of it, as any good genuine pure memory of a good piece of life. No algorithms, no industrial marketing productions, no digital vocal audio tuning, no nothing. Just the damn good old real thing.

Men at Work provide an explosive concert experience. Greg explodes with almost no warning into a frenzied flurry of fingers and flute before Simon explodes into song and the clapping around me takes on a rhythm that almost blocks out the rest of the band. Not to be outdone by their own audience the band picks up the tempo and the room fills with sweet down-under accents I remember so well from my childhood.

Hilarious dancing and jumping breaks out on the stage while Greg skillfully handles his solos and sets a staccato beat for the clapping rhythm. While the ethereal vocals and skillful playing of the other members is interesting Greg Ham is the real focus for me. He switches seamlessly from flute to saxophone and again sets both the rhythm for the audience and the tempo for the band. His solos show an intense concentration while the other members dance around and enjoy themselves.

Eschewing a fancy setup the bands equipment is easily visible making the instrument changes for Greg easier and forcing the focus to remain on the band and nothing else. There are a few lights high above the band shedding small swaths of coloured light onto the band. The vocal harmonization in an otherwise staccato song leaves me in awe of the bands talent.

This band blew me away first time I heard them. That was long time ago, I’m now 58 and to this day “ The Land Down Under” will light up my day, makes me smile , makes me dance! So gentlemen if you read this thank you! You left you mark and a place in my heart! I love y’all!!!

Billy Idol never lets me down! He has never been given the credit he deserves for his talent, he can still bring me to a stand still! I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing him in concert and now at 58 not sure I ever will but I will be a true blue fan always and forever!!

Anyone knows how many of the original members are coming to Dublin in March? It seems Colin is on tour in France these days. And the rest? (RIP Greg) I don't want to see a "Tribute band" instead...