Photos ad Review by: James Pappaconstantine
‘Til Tuesday hit the Boston scene in 1982 but when they released their debut album in 1985, they really hit it big with the song Voices Carry. The band put out a couple albums after that and had a few hits, none of which charted as high as Voices Carry. In 1988 the band dissolved and everyone went their separate ways. Singer Aimee Mann went onto release 8 solo albums and is now working on an album alongside Ted Leo under the moniker, The Both. Ted has been in the business a long time himself and although his name is not as well known as Aimee’s he is just as talented a musician.
I saw ‘Til Tuesday on their debut album tour open up for Tom Petty back in 1985, I then saw Aimee Mann solo maybe 5 or 6 years ago, and I can say, she has never looked as comfortable and happy as she did at this gig. This was the third gig for the band and you could tell they were really having fun, talking between the songs, throwing verbal jabs at each other, telling stories from the road and of some interesting dressing room hand drawn art. It was almost like being invited over someone’s house and them telling you these cool stories, you had never heard before, they invited us, (The audience) into their world.
The set including the banter was approximately 2 hours long, (Pretty good as many bands try to get away with an hour or less.) but the time went by like it was nothing.I knew the quality of Aimee’s voice but I was surprised at how much I liked Ted’s voice. At times he reminded me a bit of Elvis Costello (of whom I’m a big fan)
The Both played stuff the full album they have written together as well as songs each had written on his and her own including each other in newer versions of their work. They ended with the Thin Lizzy cover, Honesty Is No Excuse. (which they cover on their new album.)The sound was great, the show was really entertaining and the audience which was near capacity loved every minute of it.
The Set List
The Gambler
Volunteers of America
No Sir
The Inevitable Shove
Bedtime Stories
Pay For It
You Can’t Help Me Now
Save Me
Lonsdale
Hummingbird
Milwaukee
The Prisoner
Bottled in Cork
Voices Carry
Honesty Is No Excuse