Four Musical Acts, One Legendary DJ, and a Theater Full of 80s Memories
I Melt With You — Sweating Through the Texas Heat for an 80s Escape
We ventured out on August 5th to catch Howard Jones live along with Wang Chung, The English Beath and Modern English. It was one of those Texas summer evenings where the heat felt like an opening act — the kind that makes you question every life choice that led you to standing outside a venue in triple‑digit weather. Nights like this always remind me why I swore I’d never set foot in Dos Equis Pavilion again during the summer. Outdoor shows between June and September should be outlawed in the Lone Star State.
We arrived before the doors opened at 6 p.m., hoping to catch Richard Blade at the meet‑and‑greet. My wife, my son, and I even pulled out our World in My Eyes books, ready for a quick signature and a “Hey, I used to tape KROQ off the radio like it was a part‑time job,” delivered with the exact level of enthusiasm that makes people slowly back away. But with VIP ticket holders entering first and Blade’s time compressed to a tight 20‑minute window, it became clear we weren’t going to make it.
No worries — we pivoted like seasoned concert veterans. We hit the merch line early, grabbed a Howard Jones Live tour shirt (mandatory) and a Wang Chung “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” tee (also mandatory), and made it to our seats around 6:20. The heat finally gave way to air‑conditioning and stage lights — a welcome trade‑off — along with the promise of four artists whose music has been the soundtrack of my life for more than forty years.
At exactly 6:30, the lights dropped, and Richard Blade walked onstage like he was stepping into a live broadcast of 1st Wave. And that’s when the night really clicked — not just the nostalgia, but the reminder that these artists are still very much alive creatively.
Living in the Eighties — Richard Blade’s Countdown Time Machine
Before introducing Modern English, Blade launched into one of the most unexpectedly fun pre‑show segments I’ve ever seen: a year‑by‑year countdown game covering 1980 through 1983. For each year, he’d ask the crowd to shout out what they thought the top three songs were — instantly turning the theater into a chaotic blend of confident guesses, questionable memories, and a few “Wait, was that ’82 or ’83?” debates that felt straight out of a KROQ flashback weekend.
Once the crowd locked in their picks, Blade played a snippet of each music video on the big screens. Suddenly, the Texas Trust CU Theater wasn’t a venue — it was a temporary MTV broadcast, complete with grainy visuals, big hair, and that unmistakable early‑80s charm. It was pure Living in the Eighties energy: loud, nostalgic, and impossible not to smile at.
The whole room got swept up in the wave of nostalgia before the first band even hit the stage.
Moving Forward — Modern English Opens the Night
Modern English kicked off the night with a tight six‑song set, easing the crowd into the evening with a mix of classics, deep cuts, and one of their newer tracks, “Long in the Tooth.” It’s a solid song — moody, melodic, and proof that the band still has creative fuel left more than four decades after forming.
But let’s be honest: Modern English will forever be the dictionary definition of a one‑hit wonder in the U.S., and what a hit it was. I Melt With You didn’t dominate the Billboard charts during its original run, but it became one of the most enduring new wave songs of the entire decade — the kind of track that outgrew radio and became cultural shorthand for what made 80s music so enduring.
Four decades later, I Melt With You remains one of the most heavily rotated 80s songs on U.S. radio — the kind of track that never really left the airwaves. Its placement in the 1983 cult classic Valley Girl helped cement its legacy, and that soundtrack remains one of the greatest 80s time capsules ever assembled.
And here’s the real testament to its staying power: on the 1989 KROQ Flashback 500, I Melt With You ranked #2, finishing just behind Tainted Love by Soft Cell — perfect symmetry considering I saw Soft Cell perform that very song on the Generations Tour at this same venue just a month earlier. Only in the 80s universe do your concert calendar and the KROQ canon line up that neatly.
Onstage, Robbie Grey was in full front‑man mode — occasionally scolding the crowd to get up, dance, move around, and generally act like it wasn’t 100 degrees outside an hour earlier. Robbie Grey gave us a couple of Neidermeyer‑style commands to get up and dance — thankfully without the “What do you want to do with your life?!” energy from those Twisted Sister videos. He probably didn’t realize half the audience was still recovering from melting in line, but his enthusiasm was genuine, and it was cool seeing him joined by original guitarist and bassist, keeping the band’s core intact after all these years.
When the opening notes of I Melt With You finally hit, the entire theater erupted. Robbie led a massive sing‑along, and for a few minutes, everyone in the room was transported straight back to 1983 — no heat, no aging knees, just pure, shimmering nostalgia.
Save It for Later — The English Beat Bring the Ska Heat
Richard Blade returned to the stage after Modern English and continued his countdown through the next few years of the 80s — the perfect segue into The English Beat, a band whose catalog practically defines the early‑80s ska‑meets‑new‑wave sound. And for me, they’re one of the most criminally underrated bands of the decade. I Just Can’t Stop It and Special Beat Service aren’t just great albums — they’re two of my all‑time favorites.
Even with a short set, Dave Wakeling delivered. I’ve seen him five times over the last 17 years — sometimes as The English Beat, sometimes as General Public — and he’s never phoned in a show. His phrasing is still uniquely his — that relaxed, behind‑the‑beat glide he’s always had, where the vocals almost lean into the groove instead of sitting on top of it. His voice still carries that warm, melodic punch, and his iconic left‑handed teardrop guitar remains one of the most recognizable silhouettes in 80s music.
Growing up just a few miles from the location for the US Festival, The English Beat were part of my musical DNA. They were one of only two bands (the other being Oingo Boingo — and yes, I did meet Danny Elfman in college, but I promise I don’t bring it up that often) to play both years of the festival — a massive deal for a pre‑teen kid growing up just minutes from the festival grounds.
The full band was excellent, especially the sax player and Wakeling’s toaster, Antonee First Class, who is an absolute force of personality. The man could hype a grocery store checkout line. I swear, if I had someone like him following me around at work or out on the town, my productivity — and social life — would skyrocket.
The crowd responded immediately to the ska rhythms. There’s something about The Beat’s catalog that just moves people, even if they don’t know every track. And when they closed with the Ranking Full Stop / Mirror in the Bathroom combo, the energy in the room jumped another level. Fast, fun, and unmistakably Beat.
Short set, big impact.
Everybody Have Fun Tonight — Wang Chung’s Pop‑Culture Victory Lap
I don’t remember exactly how much Richard Blade came out before Wang Chung’s set — the countdown never made it to the final couple of years of the 80s — but what did happen was one of the most unexpectedly fun moments of the entire night: a full video montage celebrating Wang Chung’s pop‑culture footprint. And not just the band — specifically Everybody Have Fun Tonight.
It was a blast!
Clips of Jack Hughes and Nick Feldman were interspersed with scenes from Frasier, Beavis and Butt‑Head, How I Met Your Mother, and even Austin Powers. Every reference, every joke, every moment where “Wang Chung” became shorthand for 80s excess, neon optimism, or just pure silliness — it was all there. The whole theater was laughing, cheering, and reliving decades of TV and movie callbacks. It was the perfect warm‑up for a band whose name alone can trigger a nostalgia wave.
And then Wang Chung hit the stage — still the original duo, Jack Hughes and Nick Feldman, which is increasingly rare for 80s bands in 2026.
Their set was tight, polished, and full of surprises. They delivered the essentials, mixed in a couple of deeper cuts, and even played Hypnotize Me, from the movie Innerspace, a tour rarity performed only twice on the entire run. Hearing that one live felt like catching a B‑side in the wild — unexpected, moody, and a reminder that Wang Chung’s catalog goes deeper than the big MTV hits.
Right before the finale, Nick Feldman stepped up for one of the most charming moments of the night: a mashup of Should I Stay or Should I Go blended with “Should I Wang or Should I Chung.” It was goofy, clever, and absolutely perfect for a crowd already primed for peak 80s joy. The whole room was laughing and singing along.
And then came Everybody Have Fun Tonight. The place exploded. It was the kind of finale that reminds you why certain songs become cultural shorthand — not just hits, but moments. Wang Chung delivered it with full energy, full charm, and full commitment to the era’s larger‑than‑life charm.
It was my first time seeing Wang Chung, and they were excellent. Tight band, great vocals, fun stage presence, and a setlist that balanced hits with deep cuts. I’d absolutely see them again.
Things Can Only Get Better — Howard Jones Closes the Night with Heart and Keytars
Seeing Howard Jones live again this year felt like revisiting a familiar chapter, but with a bigger stage, a bigger crowd, and an even bigger sense of nostalgia.
I first saw Howard Jones live, last year at Fair Park on a double bill with ABC, also with Richard Blade hosting before and between sets. We even met Richard before the show, and he gave a shoutout to Colton for being such a young 1st Wave fan — one of those small, full‑circle moments that sticks with you. So, seeing Howard Jones live again this year felt like revisiting a familiar chapter, but with a bigger stage, a bigger crowd, and an even bigger sense of nostalgia.
As I mentioned in my Human League review, I’m a huge fan of the keytar, and Howard Jones live performance does not disappoint. There’s something magical about seeing him strap one on — it’s like watching the 80s materialize in real time. He used it for several songs throughout the night, and every time he picked it up, the crowd lit up. And beyond the keytar theatrics, Howard is such a talented pianist and keyboardist — the kind of musician who can shift from playful synth lines to rich, emotional piano passages without ever losing the thread of the song.
Howard opened with Stand Up, his new song, and then — in a move that felt almost like a dad joke executed at arena scale — followed it with New Song, proving once again that Howard Jones is the only artist who can debut a new song and then immediately play New Song without anyone blinking — especially after joking last year that he probably should’ve spent more time naming it.
His set was energetic and tight — eleven songs that covered the full spectrum of his catalog, from early MTV staples to deeper cuts to the big anthems everyone came to hear.
And when those anthems hit, the theater turned into a massive sing‑along. The crowd didn’t just sing — they believed. Howard has that rare ability to make a room feel hopeful, even if just for a few minutes. His songs aren’t just catchy; they’re optimistic in a way that feels almost radical in 2026.
What really stands out, though, is how genuinely kind Howard seems. He’s always gracious, always appreciative, always smiling. He talks to the audience like he’s talking to old friends, and there’s a warmth to him that makes every show feel personal. You don’t just leave humming the songs — you leave feeling better about the world.
Before Howard Jones live performance of the closing number and tour namesake, Things Can Only Get Better, he gave a little speech about being hopeful about the future.
It was a perfect ending to a night built on nostalgia, memories, and the kind of music that shaped entire generations. This was an awesome version of the song, with a funky bass line, musical breakdown midway, finishing up with a fast paced techno version of the songs. Howard Jones didn’t just close the show — he elevated it.
Life in One Day — Howard Jones Live – A Night of Nostalgia and Generational Echoes
Walking out of the Texas Trust CU Theater after Howard Jones live performance, the heat had finally broken, but the nostalgia hadn’t. Four iconic 80s artists, one legendary DJ, and a crowd that knew every chorus from 1980 to 1986 — it all added up to one of those nights that reminds you why this music still matters. Not in a “retro playlist” way, but in a lived‑in, generational way.
Modern English brought that uniquely 80s blend of melancholy disguised as a pop song — the kind of track that sounds sweet until you remember it’s actually about nuclear war. The English Beat delivered the ska heartbeat of my childhood. Wang Chung gave us the pop‑culture victory lap we didn’t know we needed. And Howard Jones live performance closed the night with sincerity, musicianship, and the kind of hopefulness that somehow still feels radical in 2026.
But the best part — as always — was sharing it with my family. Concerts like this aren’t just nostalgia trips; they’re connective tissue. They link decades together. They’re how a kid who wasn’t alive until long after MTV stopped playing videos ends up knowing the words to Mirror in the Bathroom and Things Can Only Get Better.
Richard Blade didn’t finish his countdown, but in a way, the night didn’t need it. The show itself was the countdown — a living mixtape of the decade that shaped my musical DNA. And as we walked back to the car, carrying our shirts from the night, it was impossible not to feel grateful for these moments where past and present blur together.
And the nostalgia train isn’t slowing down. In just a few weeks, we’ll be back in Grand Prairie at The Texas Trust CU Theater for another killer 80s lineup — Squeeze, Adam Ant, and Haircut 100, a band I’m genuinely stoked to finally see live. And later this fall, Stray Cats return to the same venue, keeping the calendar packed with the kind of shows that make these generational concert rituals feel endless in the best possible way.
Another show, another memory, another chapter in a story that started in the Inland Empire in the early 80s and now continues in Texas with my own kids. Things really can only get better.
I have additional videos from the show on my Youtube channel 80’s New Wave Music – YouTube
