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Best known to the wider audience for their extra terrestrial opus of space exploration, “The Final Countdown”, especially since being featured in a GEICO commercial, Europe put on a “stellar” show at Revolution LIVE in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. With soulful screamer Gabby Rae kicking off the night, Europe followed with an as energetic a show as I’ve seen…and front man Joey Tempest is in his early 50s! Goals, for sure!
If you were looking for a nostalgic romp through 80’s FM radio airplay from an era long past, you certainly got it…and then some. The energy from the band, especially the charismatic Tempest, compelled you to sing along to the hits, including: “Cherokee”, “Superstitious” and the timely and apply applied stadium anthem, “Rock The Night”. The mood was artfully modified during a near tear evoking rendition of their ballad “Carrie”, only to be brought back up to the mountain top of emotion with the song that put them on the map. Met with uproarious cheers within the first few notes of the iconic synthesizer melody, “The Final Countdown” blasted onto the stage with all the velocity of a towering solid booster rocket, taking everyone in the place on an interstellar ride.
The band was tight in every aspect. And the vocals! The vocals, assuredly tinged with 30 years of age, were still powerful and held firmly to the high, clear notes Joey Tempest was known for in the group’s heyday. Couldn’t help but leave the venue thoroughly entertained and looking at my show partner saying, “Wow! They were REALLY good!”