Stayin Alive is a Bee Gees’ tribute band with a devout following of fans in The Villages who packed the Savannah Center on Thursday for two sellout shows.
For some of those fans, it seemed a religious experience listening to the sacred soundtrack of Brothers Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb. From “I Started a Joke” to “Nights on Broadway” and beyond, this was the Bee Gees songbook in all its harmonic glory.
Watch video of their performance here:
“I loved the Bee Gees because their voices were so strong and pure,” said Villager Sandi Harrison. “This group has the same kind of sound.”
The deaths of Maurice and Robin Gibb ended the act but Stayin Alive helps keep the Bee Gees’ music alive. Tony Mattina (Barry), Todd Sharman (Robin) and Joseph Janisse (Maurice) have mastered the sound and style of the Bee Gees.
During the second show at Savannah, prints of a multi-figured, pencil graphic of the band drawn by Villager Frank Zampardi were presented to each member of Stayin Alive.
The three members displayed harmony and musicianship all night long. Mattina, with long, flowing locks and a falsetto voice like Barry, also played guitar. Janisse looked every inch of Maurice, wearing a top hat and beard, was on keyboards. Sharman brought energy and personality to the stage and was an ideal vocal partner for Mattina.
“The Bee Gees made music you could not only dance to, but also listen to,” said Villager Andrea Ralph. “The harmony was special and that’s how it is tonight.”
The Bee Gees musical career started in the mid-‘60s when they were influenced by the Beatles, and recorded such hits as “Massachusetts” and “I’ve Got to Get a Message to You.”
Then, in the early ‘70s, Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb moved to more lush, orchestrated pop sound with “Lonely Days,” and “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.”
The Gibbs seemed to be in decline by the mid-‘70s until disco came along. They recorded the soundtrack to “Saturday Night Fever” and became the biggest band in the world. Singles such as “Night Fever,” “How Deep Is Your Love,” “Nights on Broadway” and “Stayin’ Alive,” turned into mega-hits.
The task for Stayin Alive is to cover such classic songs and make the audience close their eyes and almost feel the Bee Gees in the room.
The concert opened up with a jolting number, “You Should Be Dancing.” Mattina wasted no time turning up the disco heat with his falsetto highs. Things got a bit funky on “Jive Talkin’” one of the transitional Bee Gees’ songs from the mid ‘70s.
The pace slowed with such numbers as “Emotion” and “How Deep Is Your Love.” Mattina and Sharman traded vocal leads and meshed well together.
Mattina pulled out a country number “Islands in the Stream. It was written by Barry Gibb and a big hit for Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.
Stayin Alive gave solid treatment to some of the older Bee Gees’ material. Sharman took on a Robin Gibb persona for “I’ve Got to Get a Message to You” and “Massachusetts.”
“Lonely Days” is a challenging number that starts slow and builds to a rocking climax. Mattina and Sharman played it smooth and it worked.
After a brief break, the performers returned for the second half of the concert wearing white suits. This set the fashion mood for the disco years with such numbers as “Tragedy,” and “Night Fever.” A video screen on stage showed John Travolta dancing the night away. Like everyone else in the Savannah Center, he was in the groove to the Bee Gees, thanks to Stayin Alive.
