Village People coming to Arcada in St. Charles
Dust off your leisure suit and set your mood ring to red - the Village People are coming to the suburbs!
The iconic 1970s disco group plans to fill the Arcada Theater in St. Charles Saturday, April 25, with the same flamboyant dance-party vibe it's been generating around the world for more than 30 years.
They'll all be there: the American Indian, the Cop, the Construction Worker, the Cowboy, the Biker and the Soldier. And they'll be using the glittery sounds of disco to shake (and shimmy) the crowd out of the recession blues.
"For us, it's all about having fun," said lead singer Ray Simpson (the Cop). "We want to get everyone smiling and dancing."
Village People emerged in 1977 from the colorful disco scene in New York's Greenwich Village, then known for its sizable gay population. But the group's unique look - all the members wore costumes of macho male archetypes - and irresistible dance-oriented songs turned it into a mainstream pop-culture phenomenon.
Suddenly, people who'd never been within 1,000 miles of a Greenwich Village disco sang and danced along to hits such as "Y.M.C.A." and "Macho Man." The group appeared on magazine covers and had guest spots on mainstream television hits like "The Love Boat."
As the disco craze flamed out in the 1980s, though, so did Village People. Many dismissed the group as a novelty act destined to be forgotten.
Right.
More than three decades after first hitting the scene, Village People continue to perform for crowds across the globe. Many of the group's fans date back to its 1970s heyday, but Simpson says a lot of younger faces show up at the concerts, too.
"It really seems like our audience goes from 8 to 80," he said. "Sometimes we'll see three generations of a family, dancing together to our songs. It's a great feeling."
Why the longevity? A big factor is the campy charm of Village People songs like "Y.M.C.A.," which was a must-play tune at weddings and sporting events throughout the country in the 1980s and 1990s. (Of course, no rendition of the song was complete unless you formed the letters with your arms during the anthemic chorus.)
Another was the recent return of disco beats to popular music, Simpson says. Today, the influence of that polyester era can be heard in the songs of pop stars like Beyoncé and Britney Spears.
"I think that shows that what we were doing so long ago had real credence," Simpson said. "I'm not putting down rock music or rap music, or even comparing them to what we do. But I think it's clear that disco music is still relevant."
Simpson joined Village People in 1979, after original member Victor Willis left the group. Simpson had been doing background vocals for the group before that and had released one solo album.
"It really was a 'right-place-at-the-right-time' kind of thing," he said.
In addition to Simpson, three of the group's other members are original: Felipe Rose (the American Indian), David Hodo (the Construction Worker) and Alexander Briley (the Soldier). The other two members, Jeff Olson (Cowboy) and Eric Anzalone (Biker), joined later.
Fans who attend Saturday's show in St. Charles should expect to hear all the hits, along with a number called "Trash Disco," a medley of more than 70 dance songs. Energetic choreography, outrageous dancing and campy disco fun will be the order of the evening.
"We'll be doing what we do - helping people really cut loose," Simpson said.
Did it ever occur to Simpson when he joined the group in 1979 that he would still be working it with Village People 30 years later?
Never, he said.
"If you have a two-year career in the music business, that's an achievement," he said. "For us to be able to do this together after all this time, well, it's a real blessing. And most important, it's still a lot of fun."
Village People
8 p.m. Saturday, April 25
Arcada Theater, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles
Tickets start at $49; they're available at the box office, at oshows.com or by calling (630) 587-8400