(Luck Media) Enough already with “That 70’s Show”—we’re ready to move on and embrace the musical decade that really matters, the 80s. Three of that era’s best known (and still megapopular) hitmaking bands, The Knack, The Fixx and Tommy Tutone, are hitting the road together to create The Rock N’ Roll Funhouse Tour.Billed as The Ultimate 80s Show, this multi-city package tour is being presented by Edge Management and VH1 Classics, in association with Fantasma Tours International.
The tour kicks off at the Trump Marina in Atlantic City on May 27, and includes a June 3 performance at the DTE Energy Theatre in Pine Knob, Michigan. Edge Management, which handles all three participating artists, has also licensed a broadcast special with HDNet for a concert with The Knack from the World Café in Philadelphia to air on May 14; in addition to the HDNet telecast, the concert will be released on DVD.
The name of the current tour derives from Live From The Rock ‘N Roll Funhouse, The Knack’s 2003 live album and DVD package which was based around the concept of a fictional 60’s musical TV show called “The Rock ‘N Roll Funhouse,” which included a goofy host based on old British DJs.
“Not surprisingly, since it was our project, we were the only band on the show,” laughs Doug Fieger, lead singer of The Knack. “When the idea of this new package tour came together, it just seemed like a great name to convey the kind of enjoyment fans of each of our groups can expect. All three acts have continued to perform on a regular basis for fans throughout the world, and I think for us, the promoters and the fans, it’s both satisfying and intriguing to have us all on one slate.”
Fans entering the Funhouse will be treated to some of the best loved pop classics of all time: The Knack’s “My Sharona” (one of the biggest selling singles of the rock era), “Good Girls Don’t,” “Frustrated” and “Baby Talks Dirty”; The Fixx’s “One Thing Leads To Another”; and Tommy Tutone’s “867-5309 (Jenny).”
Fieger, who says that The Knack has mastered the art of the two and three day weekend performance schedule, feels there’s no real mystery as to why these three bands continue to whip crowds everywhere into a frenzy. “The songs were great songs in their time, and they’re great songs now,” he says. “These are incredible bands that seem to get better with time, and whose energy level is higher than it ever was. What could be more fun than playing great songs with a great band? We all really enjoy performing for audiences, never forgetting that we are entertainers. We’re there to give the fans a great time, and that’s what The Rock N’ Roll Funhouse Tour is all about.”
