Synthpop sweethearts Shannon Curtis and Jamie Hill are crisscrossing the country once again on their mission of MAXIMUM JOY — and this time they're bringing the 80s with them!
When their 2023 album "Good to Me" started gaining traction internationally, synthpop artist Shannon Curtis and her husband, record producer Jamie Hill, were faced with an unexpected question: how to extend their typical one-year album cycle without interrupting their favorite couples activity — making recordings together.
Their answer was to start working their way down a list that they'd been keeping since they first met in 2006, of songs from their 1980s childhoods that they thought it might be fun to someday record their own versions of.
But where most artists attempt to put their own spin on cover songs, Curtis and Hill took an intentionally different approach: they attempted to recreate as closely as possible the emotions and feelings in the original recordings.
The one twist: Curtis would be lending her soaring alto to a collection of songs sung originally by men.
The result is an album of transcendent renditions of all-time classic 80s synthpop songs, in which all the recordings are faithful to the most exacting details of the original versions — but which somehow manage to add up to what sounds for all the world like a seamless debut album from an electrifying new artist.
The 80s kids live show that Curtis and Hill are touring around the country is an incredibly joyous and high-energy affair, packed from beginning to end with some of the biggest and most iconic hits of what they affectionately refer to as "the John Hughes wing" of 80s music.
Onstage, Curtis and Hill expertly weave the songs together with entrancing immersive video art and funny, emotional storytelling about growing up in the 80s and how it prepared us for the current moment. Audiences leave not just entertained but moved, inspired, and ready to take on the world.
A peek at the setlist reveals songs by a-ha, Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, and OMD — as well as smashes by Depeche Mode, New Order, Alphaville, The Human League, and many more 80s synthpop favorites.
In keeping with Curtis and Hill's theme of "MAXIMUM JOY," the 80s kids live concerts are focused on inclusion and community, with audience members invited to dance on stage, an 80s photo booth with neon props, and a pervasive group singalong vibe throughout the evening.
80s dress is highly encouraged; there are freebies at the merch table for anyone sporting era-appropriate fashion. Grab your friends, dust off your fingerless gloves, and get ready for a night of pure 80s joy!
You may also like the following events from The Gas City Performing Arts Center:
- Happening on, 31st January, 07:00 pm, Shining Star “A Tribute to Earth, Wind, and Fire” in Gas City
- Happening on, 21st February, 07:00 pm, No Fences - The ultimate Garth Brooks Tribute in Gas City
- Happening on, 12th March, 07:00 pm, Pauly Shore in Gas City
Also check out other
Arts events in Gas City,
Kids events & activities in Gas City,
Concerts in Gas City.
