They have been examined in minute detail on VH1 Classic, spoofed in pop culture, and hailed as influences on a wide swath of the current generation of music-makers. Some even made it all the way to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And like the ghouls from “Poltergeist II,” they're back. Of course, we speak of artists from the 1980s. While bands from the ‘60s and ‘70s still loom large on the touring landscape, this summer MTV-era acts are coming on as strong as Aqua Net at a Bon Jovi concert circa 1987. Over a dozen shows, representing the full spectrum of ‘80s music - from one-hit wonders to enduring superstars, synth popsters to college rockers - will touch down in area venues large and small. “I was looking this weekend at the list ((of summer concerts)) and thinking, ‘What year is this?”' says Rick Krim with a laugh. As an executive vice president at VH1/VH1 Classic, Krim is the master programmer behind all those oft-repeated, weeklong ‘80s nostalgia fests and series like “Bands Reunited.” “I can only imagine all the bad dancing that's going to be happening at some of these shows.” Some nights, like the “Regeneration Tour” with A Flock of Seagulls, ABC, and Naked Eyes among others at the Bank of America Pavilion, will showcase acts whose careers reached their commercial zeniths within the confines of the decade (whether they kept making records or not). Artists like Madonna, R.E.M., and Bon Jovi who escaped the fate of all those “Frankie Says Relax” shirts are hitting the big venues (Tweeter Center, TD Banknorth Garden), as are reunited and scarce acts like New Kids on the Block and George Michael. Those who fall into that gray area of having been big or interesting enough in the ‘80s to still command a cult audience include Duran Duran and the double bill of Tom Tom Club and Devo. (And that's not even counting acts that had thriving careers in the ‘70s but hit commercial pop peaks in the ‘80s like Heart, Stevie Nicks, the Police, and John Mellencamp.) “I guess what goes around comes around, like they always said,” says Chris Frantz, drummer for the Tom Tom Club and the Talking Heads, of the ‘80s invasion. “I know that on the live music scene it really helps to sell tickets to have a band that does a real show and can really play. And back in the ‘80s people still knew how to play. I'm not knocking electronic music or sequencing in any way, but I think people like to see a band that can actually rock out a little bit, get funky.” Or at the very least accurately reproduce the music of their parachute panted-youth. Although Mike Score, leader of A Flock of Seagulls, has been recording new music since his quintessential ‘80s haircut heyday, for “Regeneration” he knows the drill. “If you've been listening to a song for 20 years on the radio, that's the way you want to hear it,” he says of his group's faithful renditions of songs like “I Ran (So Far Away).” Pete Byrne of Naked Eyes is also happy to revisit the music history he made with his late partner Rob Fisher. “When you have a song like ‘Always Something There to Remind Me' or ‘Promises, Promises' and you're playing to a lot of people and they all sing along with it, what would you rather be doing?” he asks. It doesn't hurt that many of the sounds of ‘80s are being recycled and reinvented by the current generation. “It's pretty obvious isn't it?” says Frantz, who recently fielded an admiring missive from rising UK dance-rock duo the Ting Tings. “They got in touch to say how much they love the Tom Tom Club and to say they'd like to do something with us.” Those tips of the cap, whether from the Killers to Duran Duran or Maroon 5 to the Police, are a definite plus for the older acts. “It makes young kids go back and explore,” says Krim. And for some of the older synth-heavy bands it's a first chance to play the songs right. “We could never perform Naked Eyes songs live back in those days because we would have needed like 20 keyboard players to play it,” says Byrne. “Now with computers and sequencers I'm able to play those songs live, which is amazing.” And if the majority of people coming out are looking solely to revel in nostalgia, that's OK. Says Tom Tom Club's Frantz with a laugh, “I will take any kind of fan worship I can get.” - The Boston Globe __
