Sparks Gives Cleveland Career Overview As It Makes Up for Decades-Long Gap Between Local Concerts

Any concert Sparks plays is bound to disappoint a fan or two.

The art-pop duo of vocalist Russell Mael and his older brother, keyboardist Ron Mael, has made more than two dozen albums since 1971. With 20 song slots in any given show, that means many good ones won’t make the cut. Indeed, this reviewer can name at least five he really wanted to hear as the group prepared to play its first show in Northeast Ohio since the 1980s.

But Monday night’s concert at the Agora Theatre in Cleveland contained plenty of other worthy tunes from throughout the duo’s career. From the hard rock of “Whippings and Apologies” to the robotic dance stylings of “Beat the Clock” to the choral vocals of “JanSport Backpack,” the 100-minute show was a good overview of what the Maels dabbled in over more than five-decades of being stylistic chameleons.

Indeed, everyone who attended should feel fortunate the show even happened. The group was originally booked to play the Cleveland Masonic Temple. However, since venue owner TempleLive ceased operations here and in other cities, Sparks quickly moved a half-mile down Euclid Avenue to the Agora.

That move, and the whole rigmarole of ticketholders having to get their first ticket refunded while also buying a new one, may have explained why the show was far from a sellout. But the Maels didn’t seem to mind. Indeed, they paused multiple times between songs to take in applause.

And the adoration was well-earned. The group musical output, highlighted in the wonderful 2021 documentary “The Sparks Brothers,” has remained consistently strange and strong. That includes its latest album, “MAD!”, which the Maels drew five songs from for Monday’s setlist.

The brothers have also earned praise for their foray into movies and being the force behind the Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard-starring rock opera “Annette” in 2021.

But they, as well as their four backing musicians, also brought it live. Russell, at 76 years old, sported a floral-pattern suit while bouncing across the stage, clapping and showing off his still-impressive falsetto. The bespectacled and (slightly) mustachioed Ron, at 80, mostly kept on his play-serious face as he propelled many of the songs with his prowess on the keys.

He emerged, though, to deliver vocals on the Broadway musical-esque “Suburban Homeboy” and old-timey dance moves on “The Number One Song in Heaven.”

The second half contained several of the group’s best-known songs, including the melancholic “When Do I Get to Sing ‘My Way’” and the playfully rocking “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us.” While the energy was high throughout, those songs and the ones surrounding it definitely ratcheted it up and never let it come down again.

So yes, while it’s easy to quibble that certain songs weren’t played, the performance itself was exceptional and ones that were slotted were mostly just as good. There’s just so many to choose from.

So next time, fellas, why don’t you play the following …

Setlist:
1. So May We Start
2. Do Things My Own Way
3. Reinforcements
4. Academy Award Performance
5. Goofing Off
6. Beat the Clock
7. Please Don’t Fuck Up My World
8. Running Up a Tab at the Hotel for the Fab
9. Suburban Homeboy
10. All You Ever Think About Is Sex
11. Drowned in a Sea of Tears
12. JanSport Backpack
13. Music That You Can Dance To
14. When Do I Get to Sing “My Way”
15. The Number One Song in Heaven
16. This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us
17. Whippings and Apologies
18. Lord Have Mercy
Encore:
19. The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte
20. All That