Totally Tubular Festival Takes On The Rooftop at Pier 17, NYC, 7/18/24

I was repeatedly asked “Wait, how old are you? Do you really like this music?”

Review and Photos by Emily “Emol” McCormack –

Of course, I like this music! Where do you think our 2020s alternative songs would be if it wasn’t for the bands that came before them?

A few months ago my mom asked me if I wanted to see the “Totally Tubular” Festival in the summer. My answer was “Duh!” Without looking at the lineup, I knew that I was in for an epic night of 80s music.

I was even more excited to find out that the show was at the Rooftop at Pier 17 which is, ignoring my fear of heights, perhaps my favorite concert venue in NYC.

While I start this by saying “Yes, I listen to this music!” I am not lying; however, I will admit I could not remember what I knew. But I knew I would know it! (Wow, what a sentence…)

I chose not to study the setlists or spoil the night by overpreparing and just accept the music as it was presented to me.

This was a great decision.

Highlights of the night were Bow Wow Wow’s Annabella Lwin and her entertaining stage presence and of course their 1982 hit “I Want Candy”; Wang Chung’s “Everybody Have Fun Tonight”; And Modern English’s iconic “Melt With You.”

 

 

 

 

Though somewhere in the middle of the lineup, I was absolutely captivated by Men Without Hats. This was by far one of the most fun sets I have seen, well beyond this festival alone. Their music was fun and energetic, and frontman Ivan Doroschuk was such a joy to watch. He made me want to start dancing in the photo pit! I could almost remember hearing “Safety Dance” in the womb…it was so fun hearing this song live – and TWICE! The band did a reprise of the song at the end “for anyone who came late.”

 

 

 

The only confusing thing about their set – Why was the drummer wearing a hat? Did he not get the memo? Because of this, we now have a new joke in my household: Evil “Men Without Hats” is now referred to as “Men With Hats,” and instead of performing their song “Safety Dance,” Men With Hats perform “Dangerous Stance.” (Alright, I’ll stop trying to be funny and move on to the next set of the night…)

 

 

 

Tom Bailey’s set was the one with the most songs I was familiar with – This is largely because he is Tom Bailey of the Thompson Twins, another band that was a backing track to my childhood. Songs like “Lies,” “Doctor! Doctor,” and the iconic “Hold Me Now” were so fun to hear live – and with my family who played his music from such a young age!

(Fun fact: I was particularly excited to hear Thompson Twins’ “King For A Day” just days before seeing Pierce The Veil perform their song of the same name a few days later on their tour with Blink-182… making it a “King For A Day” double-feature weekend!)

 

 

Maybe I lied… I knew a lot of songs from Thomas Dolby’s set too… Only, I didn’t realize I would! Though I was surprised he started his set with New Order’s “Blue Monday,” honestly a favorite song of mine, before his song “Europa and the Pirate Twins,” a song I think I heard for the first time.

While I appreciated Thomas Dolby’s music, I enjoyed the elements of other artists he incorporated into his set. His song “One of Our Submarines (a song that was stuck in my head for days!) was intercut with Gary Numan’s “Cars.”

Dolby then moved on to a segment dedicated to arguably the most influential 80s musician: David Bowie. He spoke about his relationship with the late icon before playing the title track “Heroes” alongside a montage of Bowie clips displayed next to the stage. 

My 17-year-old brother Liam also said this was his favorite set! He said he felt the visuals and electronic elements are what set him apart from the rest – And I couldn’t agree more! 

 It was during “Heroes” that I had a deep appreciation for these visuals. I stood in the photo pit and turned around to soak in the atmosphere of the rooftop. Audience members, security guards, and other photographers – Everyone stopped their cheers, their side conversations, their movements just to appreciate the icon that is David Bowie. This was such a beautiful homage from Thomas Dolby and a dedication to a dear friend. 

 Dolby finished his set with “Hyperactive!” and “She Blinded Me With Science,” two upbeat, energetic songs that brought back the enthusiastic mood from before. I thought this was a great way to end the set!

 

 

 

I walked around the venue to find my family, all super happy with the performances from the night. We prepared to leave as my mom said, “Ugh, I really wanted him to do ‘Hot Sauce!,’” a song Thomas Dolby sometimes performed as an encore if time permitted (which we assumed it did not this night).

WE WERE WRONG! With half of the audience on their way out of the venue, Thomas Dolby returned for one more song: “Hot Sauce!” He heard my mom’s plea… and we celebrated the night with one more surprise song!

I often tend to show absolutely no expression at shows. (Seriously, ask my mom. Almost every concert we go to I am completely expressionless, and she consistently asks if I had a good time. I always respond with “That was the best show ever”!) On this night, I found myself smiling wide from beginning to end!

Beyond the music, being surrounded by people having the time of their lives was amazing. People my age seeing these artists for the first time, 80s kids seeing them for the hundredth time, everyone in between…it’s so refreshing to be around people who are just simply united by music. No judgment of which generation they are a part of…there was to be no gatekeeping that night!

 

 

On the topic of generations, it’s always “Boomer this” and “Millennial that” …Gen X is the coolest. No, my parents are not paying me to say this. Millennial audiences are often exhausting to be around (don’t get me started on the Justin Timberlake crowd…). Gen X rocks. Their music rocks and they are not afraid to share it! Okay, rant over.

Side note: I do have to address the worst part of the night, and luckily we got it over with at the start – We did miss the first two bands. This is partly due to my work schedule, and largely due to the parking garage across the street that had to reorganize their cars because they overbooked. Just because you booked a parking reservation doesn’t always mean they reserve a spot for you! Lesson learned (and money refunded). Hopefully, we can catch Tommy Tutone and Eddie Munoz of The Plimsouls sometime soon!

Weather makes or breaks an outdoor venue, and while it was the tiniest bit hotter than I would have preferred, we were so lucky that there was no rain!

It was warm enough that I needed to take a handful of water breaks in between sets. Thank you Liquid Death for always having my back…

It was at the food stands in the back where an energetic (and super friendly) woman started a conversation with me while her partner got her food. She asked how old I was, and when I answered she was shocked! She told me she had kids my age who unfortunately didn’t want to come to this festival. She followed up, questioning: “You really like this music?”

My response? “Of course! What do you think I grew up listening to?”

 

 

Thomas Dolby –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom Bailey –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Modern English –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Men Without Hats –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wang Chung – 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bow Wow Wow – 

You may be reading this article thinking you don’t recognize any of these artists, but I doubt that’s true… Check out my “best of” playlist below and see if I’m right!