- Why is there no furniture in this room?
Wang Chung may have spread some of the cheesiest rock of the ’80s (“Everybody Have Fun Tonight” is a classic example of the era’s obsession with karaoke-style synth-pop and party-all-the-time self-indulgence), but the band had a talent for creating melodies you’ll remember decades later. “Dance Hall Days” is one of the ’80s most underrated radio sleepers, with the warm synthesizers, six-string jangle, and hot sax you heard in many Howard Jones and Simple Minds songs. Wang Chung also work nostalgic magic on thirtysomethings who grew up during MTV’s nascent days. Their videos were on the music channel all the time, and the group contributed songs to The Breakfast Club and To Live and Die in L.A. For most fans, a modern-day Wang Chung concert is all about rehashing those period-piece moments. But the band is also pushing forward, promoting a new double EP (appropriately titled Abducted by the ’80s), cleverly packaged with four classic hits and four new tracks (which sounds like Wang Chung laced with Depeche Mode-styled electronics). Wang Chung, with with Star Monkey and Roxxymoron, play Musica at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. Call 330-374-1114 or go to akronmusica.com. And if you can't make their Musica performance, check out Wang Chung at the Winchester in Lakewood on Saturday night.—Keith Gribbins
Review the show at clevescene.com/concertscene
