Rockin' the Colonies Tour brings the 80s to town

Think the alternative pop-rock of the 1980s is a flash-in-the-pan? Think again. And maybe grab some New Wave attire - skinny tie and sunglasses, leopard-print miniskirt and boots - while you're at it.

When the Rockin' the Colonies Tour, featuring The English Beat, The Fixx and The Alarm, calls on Portsmouth's nTelos Wireless Pavilion on Saturday night, it'll represent one of several flashback concerts this summer celebrating the feel-good vibrations of the New Wave music from the '80s.

Why is the music of alternative-pop acts such as the trio coming in this weekend, as well as Duran Duran, Culture Club and Depeche Mode, still popular?

Nostalgia is No. 1.

"I think it's music from a time in people's life that they want to reflect upon," said Ken MacDonald, co-president of Integrate Management Group, the company that programs and promotes entertainment at the nTelos Pavilion. "What happens over time is the good music from that era is the music that people want to go back and see again."

MacDonald and business partner Mike Jones have a long history of promoting concerts in Hampton Roads. MacDonald was general manager of The Boathouse from 1988 to 1998. The 2,600-seat concert space hosted many of these bands in their heyday.

"Historically these acts did very well in the (Hampton Roads) market," he said. "They had a very good history of selling at The Boathouse."

The Regeneration Tour, scheduled Aug. 28, is the second major package of '80s music planned for the nTelos Pavilion. The lineup includes A Flock of Seagulls, ABC, Naked Eyes, The Human League and former Go-Go's singer Belinda Carlisle.

Aside from the amphitheater in Portsmouth, music from the 1980s also will top the headlining bill for the family-friendly Verizon Wireless American Music Festival in August, where tourists and locals alike will hear Billy Idol (Aug. 30), the B-52s (Aug. 31) and The Motels featuring Martha Davis (Aug. 31) at the Oceanfront.

Reminiscing is surely part of the appeal to experiencing any of the bands, but concertgoers are likely to see as many teens and twentysomethings in the audience.

And for good reason: The music is compelling.

New Wave music is probably best described as the pop side of punk rock. Both alternative music genres emerged in the mid '70s as a reaction to disco and the grandiose excesses of arena rock. New Wavers such as The Police, Elvis Costello and Blondie incorporated everything from ska and reggae into power pop. A completely new subgenre, known as synth-pop, made use of the latest keyboard technology, as exhibited brilliantly by New Order, Devo and Kraftwerk.

"The 1980s was a time of experimentation," said Rick Mersel, who has The Cured - a tribute band to The Cure -coming to The NorVa in Norfolk on Aug. 23. "Bands like The Cure, Talking Heads and R.E.M. influenced everything that's going on today. A lot of the sound of today comes directly from those '80s experimental bands, and that's where college and indie rock really got its start."

In fact, some of today's hottest acts, ranging from The Killers, Franz Ferdinand and Action Action to Modest Mouse and N.E.R.D., owe some of their success to the pop music of two decades past. Kids seem to love the guitar-backed synth-pop.

The Wave, a dance club on Norfolk's Colley Avenue, has featured an '80s Night on Thursdays for six years and counting. While the age of clubgoers ranges from late teens to the 40s, most people are in their 20s.

"They love it," said Tom Pruitt, owner of The Wave. "It's high-energy and fun music. It's our busiest night. I didn't think it would be this popular this long."

Jeff Maisey, (757) 222-3934, jmaisey@pilotonline.com