This is a hybrid between a  revue and Tribute concert featuring the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. This was their second booking , and on a Saturday night they had pretty much sold it out, a good sign that their previous appearance had been well received.

The original band had dominated the charts. Valli recorded his first record in 1953, but the Four Seasons did not form until 1960. Most of the songs were introduced or included as part of a narration story, pretty much tracking the history of doo wop , barber shop, harmony singing and early rock n roll. With some forty top 40 hits as a solo artist and band member, there was no shortage of material to draw on.  The repertoire meant that a significant proportion of the audience was over 70 years old.

My seat was in the balcony which may have been a factor in one of my concerns about the show. The sound was shrill, and some of the harmonies discordant. Frankly in part that reflected the limited vocal abilities of some of the four piece. However the instrumentation was provided by a backing track, and the lack of a live band on stage did dull the immediacy and dynamic range  of some of the songs.

Yes, all of the hits were aired, some multiple times: “Sherry” (1962), “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (1962), “Walk Like a Man” (1963), “Rag Doll” (1964) and “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” (1975), song “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”  ( 1967), “the Night” ( 1972). “My Eyes Adored You” (1974) and “Grease” (1978) amongst them

There was plenty of cheesy banter with the audience although their preference for talking in the first person about  themselves. You are NOT Bob Gaudio and his applause is not yours.

However… the audience lapped it up and the “Four Seasons” ( and Penny in lighting) clearly had a great time too. Entertainment is of the moment, and they delivered it to their fans.