Hail Satin! It’s easy to credit the Foo Fighter’s recent turn as the Dee Gees for injecting the music of the Bee Gees back in our veins but the truth is, the music of the Bee Gees is always with us. You would be hard pressed to find a better legends slot moment at Glastonbury than Barry Gibbs’ “Stayin’ Alive” in 2017. Dolly Parton (2014) comes close, as does Kenny Rogers (2013), but, let’s not forget, “Islands In the Stream” was written by the Bee Gees. This year, the legends slot went to Diana Ross and she delivered a shimmering version of “Chain Reaction”, which, you guessed it, was written by the Bee Gees. The influence of The Beatles notwithstanding, the songwriting of Bee Gees has permeated all corners of popular music and their own recordings are proving more timeless as each year passes.
Having started their current Las Vegas run in 2011, The Australian Bee Gees have performed over 6,000 shows in their career but each night, the show continues to amaze audiences. Starting in the swinging London of the 1960’s and tracing the band’s musical journey to disco glory in the 1970s, the show pays careful attention to the details. The acoustic numbers are delivered with a genuine respect for the craft with which the Bee Gees originally wrote them and when it comes time to turn the Excalibur Casino into a disco castle, the focus remains on the music. The show, thankfully, doesn’t fall into the disco cliches that unjustly haunt an era of music that perfected dance music and inspired a golden age of pop in the 1980s.
When the band shifts into a medley of songs written by the Bee Gees for other artists, it’s easy to see the look of surprise on so many faces as couples look at each other and say, “I didn’t know they wrote that!”. Without giving away any more surprises, it’s a highlight of the show and by the end of it, you’re itching to dance. The band sense that and the disco balls light begin to sparkle. The showroom soon turns into a dance floor and it’s not uncommon to see people from their 20s to their 60s stayin’ alive in the music.
Nobody is too cool for the music of the Bee Gees, Dave Grohl saw to that, but some might think a Vegas showroom at 5pm at Friday is hardly living it up in Vegas. Well, they are wrong. Having seen the show three times now, it never fails to deliver and that’s a credit to Michael Clift (Barry), Alex Fetzko (Robin), and Wayne Hosking (Maurice). The three musicians could go through the motions and the crowd would still enjoy the show but they respect the music too much for that. As a result, tourists from all corners of the world leave with a little of the Travolta swagger and a new appreciation for just how important the Bee Gees are to popular music.
Check out more on the show and grab tickets here!*
* With all Vegas show reviews, the writer is sharing his own experiences and receives no compensation from the show. I just want to share the best of Las Vegas!
