February 3, 1959 — the day when a Clear Lake, Iowa plane crash took Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and “The Big Bopper” J.P. Richardson from us — is still widely considered “the day the music died.”
More than two decades later, August 1, 1981 presented an interesting contrast. On that day, MTV debuted, and the marriage between television and music took flight. For an entire generation, it was and remains the day the music was born.
Just more than three years after that, the dawning of CHUM Limited-owned MuchMusic capitalized on the intense worldwide popularity of music videos. Much like MTV, teens and young adults were firmly in its ratings crosshairs.
For pop music stars, both new and long established, it was no longer good enough to simply release an vinyl record or, later in the decade, a CD. For their songs to gain any serious hit traction, they had to be accompanied by a corresponding music video. And more often than not, music videos were full-blown productions — think Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
For close to 10 years now, retro tribute band Neon Nostalgic has sparked interest anew in the music video craze that was so popular through the 1980s and well into the following decade.
Billed as “the world’s only live television music show,” Neon Nostalgic — Shawn Brady, Kevin Strom, Grant Strom, and John Johnstone — will headline the perennially popular Canada Day edition of Peterborough Musicfest on Tuesday (July 1).
VIDEO: Neon Nostalgic – Live Band Video Dance Party
According to Musicfest executive director Tracey Randall, due to the unavailability of Musicfest favourite Dwayne Gretzky, the search was on for a tribute act that would equally satisfy the audience’s taste for the soundtrack of the past.
Randall found just that in Neon Nostalgic, which brings to the stage a decidedly different twist in the form of four talented musicians synchronizing their performances perfectly to the original artists’ music videos of the songs they play.
With a focus on audience interaction and engagement, Neon Nostalgic has a repertoire of more than 100 songs from the 1980s and beyond. Prince, Bon Jovi, U2, Michael Jackson, and Oasis are but a few of the acts they pay tribute to as their audience takes in the original video of each song the band performs.
Following last July’s Neon Nostalgic performance at Toronto’s Sounds of Leslieville & Riverside music festival, Joe Taylor of Blast Toronto wrote “This was one hell of a good party.”
“Shawn (Brady), the lead singer, took it upon himself to come off the stage and get into everybody’s face while he sang (David Bowie and) Queen’s ‘Under Pressure.’ Now the crowd was waking up. He took it a step further and got people to move forward to the fun heavy metal anthem from Twisted Sister, ‘We’re Not Going To Take it.’ People walked towards the stage while belting out the song of rebellion from their youth.”
Belanger’s review seems to pay truth to the band promoter’s claim that Neon Nostalgic “isn’t just a show; it’s an invitation to dance, sing and relive the magic of the past.”
On a day set aside for celebrating Canada’s past, that seems like a pretty good fit for the crowd at Peterborough Musicfest.
VIDEO: “Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol performed by Neon Nostalgic
Peterborough Musicfest is presenting 16 free-admission concerts during its 37th season, each staged on Wednesday and Saturday nights until Saturday, August 16th.
Overseen by executive director Tracey Randall and staff, a board of directors, and numerous volunteers, Peterborough Musicfest’s stated mission remains “to provide diverse, affordable live music to enrich cultural and economic prosperity in our community.”
For more information on this concert or the 2025 season, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca or phone the Peterborough Musicfest office at 705-755-1111.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a headline sponsor of Peterborough Musicfest’s 2025 season.
