Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox @ UB Center for the Arts, Amherst, NY 10-12-16

Scott Bradlee’s “Post Modern Jukebox” stopped at the UB Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo last Wednesday and brought a travelling roadshow along. Bradlee is the leader of a collection of musicians, singers and dancers that put an old spin on modern songs. Imagine yourself in a 1920s cabaret where the show rolls out beautiful girls singing jazzy tunes and dancers tapping along to the rhythm while the backing band joins in the fun with pounding snycopated drums, horns blaring and the stand up bass spinning in the background. Old-fashioned entertainment with a modern twist was the style of the evening.

The touring troupe tonight included Casey Abrams, Morgan James, Aubrey Logan (all American Idol alums) Maiya Sykes, Sara Niemietz, Ariana Savalas and Mykal Kilgore. Sarah Reich added flair as tap dancer for the evening. Ariana and Sarah opened the show with a high-energy “Bad Romance” where they traded lead, alternating between singing and dancing. Mykal, Sara and Casey ran through a peppy “Hey Ya” and Maiya and Ariana joined Sara for a dance filled “Bye, Bye, Bye.” The evening charged on with a torchy “Maps” by Morgan that was the highlight of the evening. An uptempo version of “Creep” by Maiya brought a thunderous response from the crowd. More fun ensued with an encore of “Roar” by host Mykal and the whole cast joined in the closing number of “MmmmmBop.”

The crowd reaction was enthusiastic for most songs. Some unfamiliarity with some tunes led to a somewhat subdued reaction but most of the audience sang along and clapped in sync with the performers when asked by the performers. When PMJ appeared here last year, it was a capacity crowd. A higher ticket price may have kept this show from being a sellout. Bradlee has assembled some of the best musicians and singers to perform with PMJ. The concept works and as long as he can keep it fresh, it will have a long life. It’s a show worth the price and full of great entertainment. The heavy touring schedule covers a lot of area. Don’t miss this show if it’s in a city near you.

Setlist:

Intro: Sing, Sing, Sing (Benny Goodman cover) and The Final Countdown (Europe cover)

Bad Romance (Lady Gaga cover)

Bad Blood (Taylor Swift cover)

I’m Not the Only One (Sam Smith cover)

Hey Ya (Outkast cover)

Bye Bye Bye (*NSync cover)

I Believe in a Thing Called Love

Maps (Maroon 5 cover)

Sweet Child of Mine (Guns N’ Roses cover)

My Heart Will Go On (Celine Dio cover)

Pony (Tap Medley – Ginuwine cover)