ABC Band, Still has that Look of Love

Being an ’80s fanatic, I was eagerly anticipating the ABC concert debut at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. It was Father’s Day that night, so it was a full day of celebration. I planned to bring my whole family to this concert ever since I learned they were playing. I decided my kids should be exposed to the ‘80s music I grew up with, a fun and simpler time of my life. ABC is one of my absolute fave British invasion bands. Their music is a wonderful combo of new romantic, danceable tunes and new wave.
Before the concert, I prepared my kids to listen to “The Best of ABC “cd so they would be familiar with the songs. And guess what? Charles, my 7-year old son, started singning some of the words like, “That’s the look, that’s the look, the look of love” and ”Shoot that Poison Arrow” . So there we were with the whole family, enjoying our desserts and good music from the ’80s. It was also the first time for them to see a real ’80s musician and first time for me and my husband to see ABC. To my surprise, my kids were not the only kids at the show. I saw about 10 sons/daughters with their parents. After all, it was an “all age” show. We were also seated with fun folks, especially a lady named Wendy who instantly became my dancing buddy.

As they entered, the first thing I noticed was Martin Fry still looked good with his sharp purple suit. But where’s the gold suit? How does he maintain his figure from 30 years ago? He absolutely still looks svelte and smartly dressed. His voice is still fresh sounding and in top form, and his current band were simply energetic and talented. He played most of the greats from the ABC songbook.

When they started playing these good ‘ol hits, the audience were on their feet, dancing. It definitely took me back to my youth, as the audience sang along to their hit songs, “Be Near Me“, “When Smokey Sings“, “Look of Love“, “The Night You Murdered Love“, and “How to be a Millionaire.” Wendy, an ABC fan, was tirelessly and heartily dancing since the beginning of the concert. She said, “Being a fan for 30 years and never having seen ABC, I didn’t know how they were going to pull off their complicated music in such a small venue. “ She added, “But Martin Fry is so talented that his vocals were awesome and his electric personality really shined through as well. “

It was a fantastic night in the company of Martin Fry and his band. It really took me back to when I was 12 or 13 (yes, I was already into new wave). The band’s performance was impeccable. ABC and Martin will always live in my heart as he brought a lot of good dancing to my life. He is a charming ABC frontman. I would definitely see ABC again.

Special thanks to Stefanee Freedman and the Coach House wonderful staff.