A Little Tenderness at The Coach House with The English Beat

It didn’t take long for the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano to be filled that Saturday night, April 13th. The English Beat performed that night headed by Dave Wakeling.  Dave sported a black golf shirt and black pants with a clean cut look. As he entered the stage, he tested his guitar and smiled at the crowd. The crowd was late 30’s and above. Some of them even brought their kids (I suppose they could not find a babysitter that night). As the band started to play, the crowd stood up giddily and started to dance. Their mainstream hit “Save It For later” was one of the crowd favorites and even the kids were dancing to the music. It was delightful to see these kiddos dance to an ’80s hit.

The band managed to fuse all their hits – “Mirror In The Bathroom,” “Save It For Later,” “I Confess,” “The Tears of a Clown,” and of course my absolute favorite “Tenderness”.

To see Dave Wakeling and new members of his band live is remarkable and to be with a nostalgic crowd is awesome. With a merge of Ska, Reggae, Punk Rock and New Wave, the music was highly danceable. The band also managed to make it interactive with the audience so it was never a dull moment. Dave Wakeling still has the knack of whistling as part of his song.

When Dave started to sing the hit “Tenderness” the crowd went into a frenzy from the infectious beat. Female fans went on stage and danced with the band. To sum it up, I’ve never seen so many female fans boldly on stage and dancing with the band and the charismatic Dave Wakeling.

As a postscript, not only is Dave one of the most talented artists but he has a big open  heart with his fans. After the band performance, he reached out to the audience, chatted and shook their hands. I was very fortunate to have a photo with him.

For more of The English Beat and OC Concert Guide click here.