THE HOOTERS
The Hooters at Ardmore Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA. 5/13/23.
You can mark this one down as the show that surprised me the most in 2023. The Hooters are a Philly staple, having played Live Aid and the Spectrum at their height. Outside of their own hits, their core members have the writing credits for "Time After Time" (Cyndi Lauper) and "One of Us" (Joan Osborne). Saturday marked the second of a three night stand at Ardmore Music Hall, which happened to be the best of the three.
The Hooters displayed a very wide range of styles from ska to reggae to folk, and they did them well, incorporating accordions, recorders and even a horn section. But what I did not expect was the energy they would bring the entire show. As the set went on, each song seemed catchier and catchier with the band moving easily around the stage, ripping solos, switching to double neck guitars and regularly greeting the crowd. For a band in their 60s and 70s, I couldn't believe how effortlessly they put on such a good show. The highlight of the night had to be one of their most famous songs, "All You Zombies", with the house lighting dark except for some green backlighting.
All in all, it was a great homecoming for the band and the venue (which celebrated 10 years) with local station WMMR in attendance as well as tons of family and friends.
Shot and Written by Mark Franzen.
