It took Sparks decades to make it to Vancouver, but their career-spanning show at the Vogue Theatre on Tuesday night was worth the wait for fans and the band alike.
Last year, the California duo, brothers Russell and Ron Mael, reached a milestone 50 years of defying artistic conventions and pushing musical boundaries. Edgar Wright's 2021 documentary, The Sparks Brothers, highlighted their expansive run, one that never attained much commercial success outside of the US and UK but influenced generations of musicians and comedians. Coupled with that same year's Annette, a bewildering musical written and scored by Sparks, the band vaulted to a new peak of acclaim, exposing them to a whole new generation of fans.
Sparks made up for lost time by forgoing an opener. Even with nearly two dozen records of synth pop, orchestral glam and prog rock wizardry behind them, they drew as far back in their catalogue as the Todd Rundgren-produced "Wonder Girl," from their 1971 self-titled debut album originally released under the band name Halfnelson. Leaping forward in time, Sparks performed songs as recent as two dramatic cuts from Annette — "So May We Start," which strategically opened the show, and later "We Love Each Other So Much."
"Tips for Teens," "Stravinsky's Only Hit," the courtly "Under the Table with Her," and "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" fulfilled expectations of the band's signature operatic rock. The marching band pomp of "Get in the Swing" was also a spirited highlight, as was the quirky harmonic delight "Lawnmower." With whip-cracking guitar licks, "I Predict" played like a parody of straight-laced arena rock.
Compared to Sparks' flare for the theatrical, the stage setup was relatively basic. No decorations adorned their surroundings. The lighting was never extravagant. Ron and Russell's backing band — Eli Pearl, Evan Weiss, Max Whipple, Tyler Parkford, and Stevie Nistor, who, like the brothers, dressed in nearly all-black — were stationed in a straight line behind them. Only during the piano ballad "I Married Myself" did Russell use a prop, as he gazed into a handheld mirror and asked himself, "Hey, baby, how you doin'? / You're fine / So fine."
On songs like the glowing new wave rocker "Angst in Your Pants," the 73-year-old Russell showed he still possesses an impressive vocal range — and dance moves to match, a striking juxtaposition when he pranced around the statuesque Ron who played keys with robotic focus. However, Ron, three years his brother's senior, briefly showed off his own moves during the sprawling electro-pop opus "The Number One Song in Heaven."
Outside of the brothers' dancing and Russell's mirror bit, the night was light on Sparks' trademark humour, though Ron elicited laughs any time he took to vocals, like on the jaunty "Suburban Homeboy" and mechanical "Shopping Mall of Love," or carried out gestures as effortless as removing his coat and bowing.
Sparks never received their due back in their heyday — though to be fair, they weren't much interested in it either — but the Vancouver audience heaped on the love. In closing their dazzling 23-song show, Ron and Russell Mael expressed their deepest gratitude. Hopefully, last night was not merely one stop on a victory lap but a warm-up for more music, movies, tours and general absurdity to come.
Last year, the California duo, brothers Russell and Ron Mael, reached a milestone 50 years of defying artistic conventions and pushing musical boundaries. Edgar Wright's 2021 documentary, The Sparks Brothers, highlighted their expansive run, one that never attained much commercial success outside of the US and UK but influenced generations of musicians and comedians. Coupled with that same year's Annette, a bewildering musical written and scored by Sparks, the band vaulted to a new peak of acclaim, exposing them to a whole new generation of fans.
Sparks made up for lost time by forgoing an opener. Even with nearly two dozen records of synth pop, orchestral glam and prog rock wizardry behind them, they drew as far back in their catalogue as the Todd Rundgren-produced "Wonder Girl," from their 1971 self-titled debut album originally released under the band name Halfnelson. Leaping forward in time, Sparks performed songs as recent as two dramatic cuts from Annette — "So May We Start," which strategically opened the show, and later "We Love Each Other So Much."
"Tips for Teens," "Stravinsky's Only Hit," the courtly "Under the Table with Her," and "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" fulfilled expectations of the band's signature operatic rock. The marching band pomp of "Get in the Swing" was also a spirited highlight, as was the quirky harmonic delight "Lawnmower." With whip-cracking guitar licks, "I Predict" played like a parody of straight-laced arena rock.
Compared to Sparks' flare for the theatrical, the stage setup was relatively basic. No decorations adorned their surroundings. The lighting was never extravagant. Ron and Russell's backing band — Eli Pearl, Evan Weiss, Max Whipple, Tyler Parkford, and Stevie Nistor, who, like the brothers, dressed in nearly all-black — were stationed in a straight line behind them. Only during the piano ballad "I Married Myself" did Russell use a prop, as he gazed into a handheld mirror and asked himself, "Hey, baby, how you doin'? / You're fine / So fine."
On songs like the glowing new wave rocker "Angst in Your Pants," the 73-year-old Russell showed he still possesses an impressive vocal range — and dance moves to match, a striking juxtaposition when he pranced around the statuesque Ron who played keys with robotic focus. However, Ron, three years his brother's senior, briefly showed off his own moves during the sprawling electro-pop opus "The Number One Song in Heaven."
Outside of the brothers' dancing and Russell's mirror bit, the night was light on Sparks' trademark humour, though Ron elicited laughs any time he took to vocals, like on the jaunty "Suburban Homeboy" and mechanical "Shopping Mall of Love," or carried out gestures as effortless as removing his coat and bowing.
Sparks never received their due back in their heyday — though to be fair, they weren't much interested in it either — but the Vancouver audience heaped on the love. In closing their dazzling 23-song show, Ron and Russell Mael expressed their deepest gratitude. Hopefully, last night was not merely one stop on a victory lap but a warm-up for more music, movies, tours and general absurdity to come.