I’ve only seen the Bee Gees once, as part of the Saturday Night fever 25 th year anniversary at the theater Of MSG. Both Robin and Maurice and big brother Barry were there, though the baby BG Andy was long gone.
The boys ran through their SNF hits efficiently and they held their own with disco stalwarts Tavares and Trammps even if the backing band were generic in the extreme and they were all, more or less alive, which helps. And now, as Helen Bach noted in her Friday post, we are going to get the opportunity to hear the Bee Gee hits again and not just the disco ones either. But, as Helen also noted, the problem isn’t just that Maurice and Robin are dead, and therefore obviously, and even with Barry’s son and niece (Maurice’s kid) filling in on the harmonies, it isn’t the Bee gees at all but Barry solo. And Barry is, wel,l he is old.
So when I told Helen I’d picked up a tix to see the hairiest Bee Gee at Jones Beach on March 21 st , she was aghast. Not only do I hate Jones Beach but worse it is awful early in the season to be going to an out door show and any way… it was honor bound to be a complete disaster. She was worried about me. wondered whether age had creeped up on me as well.
But I countered with the Beethoven Defense. If Beethoven was playing, what would you say? “Man, that ‘Ninth Symphony’ was a coupla hundred years ago and he is old now, who wants to see him?” I say, catch your older favorites while you can.
Barry Gibb is one of the last great men of the 1960s still standing. I wanna see him. So I ponied up sixty bucks for a cheap seat and away the spirits having flown,. As for Helen? She went to Panic In The Disco! What does she know?