NEW YORK – Yachtley Crew Full Steam Ahead
On July 17th, at the Mayo Performing Art Center (MPAC) in Morristown, the sun was setting on a hot and steamy night. Inside the theater, patrons donning yacht captain hats were about to set sail with Yachtley Crew, a nautical-suited and captain’s-hat-clad band who performed what I consider one of the top five concerts I have reviewed in the past eight years (folks, I’ve seen hundreds).
Southern California Yacht Rock Band
If you are unfamiliar with this phenomenal group and their style, get familiar now. Yachtley Crew is a seven-piece Southern California band that started in 2017 and started a nationwide Yacht Rock craze, playing to sold-out venues everywhere, even in Vegas.
They are truly responsible for a major revival of soft rock and Top 40 hits from the late 70s and early 80s. You will be on your feet for the entire show if you have one ounce of energy. And you may be hoarse from singing along with the music. Just go with it.
Dancing in the Aisles
Yachtley Crew opened with the 1972 hit Reelin’ in the Years, written by Steely Dan band members Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The song peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and started the tempo of the evening with energy. The sold-out audience went wild with excitement, hooting and hollering, clapping, dancing in the aisles and seats to another iconic song, Maneater, by Hall & Oates.
Infidelity-Themed Lyrics
The soft, sultry sax intro to George Michael’s Careless Whisper, released in 1984 and hitting the US Billboard Hot 100 at Number 1, started a frenzy. Rolling Stone quipped it as “a soulful, saxophone-laden ballad” with “infidelity-themed lyrics,” the song worked its magic with the crowd. You couldn’t deny that, by the roar of the applause, the concertgoers wanted more.
Torched the Room
Christopher Cross’s Ride Like the Wind, which, incidentally, had been sung the evening before by Cross when he headlined at the MPAC, created a crescendo of excitement that torched the room.
Haunting Wailing of The Sax
The performance of Gerry Rafferty’s Baker Street, featuring the haunting wailing of the sax throughout the entire song, brought the house down. The crowd went delirious when sax player Paul Pate (Pauly Shores) appeared on stage, then disappeared and reappeared on the balcony, clinging to the railing and his instrument. When Baker Street hit #2 on the US charts, it was forever etched in the minds of those who heard it for the first time as the sound of the summer of 1978.
Pina Colada
Legendary singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffet, who signed them to his Mailboat Records label, noticed this talented group of musicians and vocalists. That is quite a testament to their exceptional sound, and they just released their first EP, Seas the Day, featuring fan favorites such as Boz Scaggs’ Lido Shuffle, Toto’s Africa, and Rupert Holmes’ unforgettable song Escape (The Pina Colada song), all of which were sung during the evening.
The standing ovation and the upbeat mood of the crowd after 90 minutes of uninterrupted entertainment confirmed Yachtley Crew is a fantastic experience you shouldn’t miss.
Full Steam Ahead Tour
Yachtley Crew Full Steam Ahead Tour 2024 is running now through December. Featuring lead vocalist Phillip Daniel (Philly Ocean), drummer Rob Jones (Sailor Hawkins), bassist Chaz Ruiz (Baba Buoy), guitarist Thomas Gardner Jr. (Tommy Buoy), backing vocalist Curt Clendenin (Stoney Shores), saxophonist Paul Pate (Pauly Shores), and keyboardist Matt Grosman (Matthew McDonald).
Morristown Performing Arts Center (MPAC), 100 South Street, Morristown, New Jersey 07960.
Readers may also enjoy our reviews of Opera in the Garden by ON SITE OPERA, Norm Lewis at 54 Below, Tony Danza, Meg Okura at the Met Museum, Laura Benanti at the Minetta Lane Theater, Brazilian Jazz at Le Bab Ilo in Paris, and Marilyn Maye birthday celebration at 54 Below.
One Response
Come on be factual here: when you say, “started this craze”? This band rode the coattails of many Yacht Rock Bands coming BEFORE them: Yacht Rock Revue ’09, Mustache Harbor ’14, Yachty by Nature ’16