Human Nature wants to be more than Motown
Human Nature came to Las Vegas as grown-ups almost seven years ago, doing an even more grown-up tribute to Motown.
But the Australian vocal quartet started out as ’90s pop stars, or, well, you know… the B-word.
“The defining features of a boy band, we never thought we were,” says singer Andrew Tierney. “But as we’ve gotten further away from it, this could be the title of our autobiography: ‘Boy band’ is not a dirty word.”
It’s not a dirty word on the Strip, at least when used in conjunction with “Generation Y-ers” or whatever you want to call people who grew up listening to teen heartthrobs of the ’90s. After all, the Backstreet Boys generously expressed their willingness to perform at Planet Hollywood while on the red carpet for a recent movie premiere.
After two months of down time, Human Nature reopens at The Venetian on Tuesday with a broader demographic net. “The Motown Show” will be retired — along with Smokey Robinson’s name above the title as presenter — and “Jukebox” will give the group license to do songs from the 1950s to now.
The idea is to make new fans without losing old ones. The “Jukebox” title comes from a 2014 studio album of ’50s and ’60s covers. But that moves the age appeal even further into the past, so this version is a “time machine” approach that lets the group visit the ’70s and, yes, a segment saluting the likes of New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys.
“It was a unique time in music and we lived through the thick of it, says Toby Allen, who has been in the group with Tierney, his brother Mike Tierney and Phil Burton since all four were young teens. “We have a bit of fun with that in the show.”
Producer Adam Steck had negotiated to move the show if The Venetian didn’t want to keep Human Nature in the mix of changes, which include the adult comedy of “Puppet Up!” coming to the same Sands Showroom as a roommate production, and the likely relaunch of a tribute to film director Baz Luhrmann on the Palazzo side of the casino.
“We were going to pitch the brand-new show to The Venetian even before they were making changes,” Tierney says. “It was always our intention and our dream to branch out beyond Motown. Just bring more of what we are as a group to people here in America as well.”
“We needed to do it for ourselves, and were lucky enough that The Venetian wanted to be part of it,” he adds.
The show will include contemporary pop choices that reflect the “60 Minute Challenge,” a social-media campaign in which the group has an hour to come up with an a cappella arrangement of a pop hit. So far they’ve tackled Justin Bieber’s “Sorry,” Drake’s “Hotline Bling” and Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.”
“We’re setting ourselves up where we can be a little more fluid,” Burton says. “I think that’s something you have to do when you add modern songs in a show,” compared to time-tested Motown classics. “It keeps us on our toes as well.”
Hindsight is 20/20 when it comes to the Motown catalog or the doo-wop classics covered on the “Jukebox” album. “I think it’s very easy to say that the music was better back in the older days, I suppose it’s because the classic songs survive,” Burton says.
“And all of the classic songs are great songs. So they’ve had their chance to separate from the crap around them. The songs that we’re listening to today haven’t had that chance.”
But if you get miffed because they don’t cover your favorite Zeppelin song? There’s a caveat.
“It is called ‘Jukebox’ but it’s our jukebox,” Andrew Tierney says. “So if anyone doesn’t like the songs, that’s because they’re on our jukebox, not theirs. I guess that’s the creative license we take. At the end of the day it is our jukebox.”
• The magic pack thinned again last week when Dirk Arthur announced his “Wild Magic” will leave the main room of the Westgate Las Vegas for the rest of the school year. He plans to reopen in June when the family traffic is back in town.
Arthur says the move was all about economics and had nothing to do with Tropicana magician Jan Rouven’s sudden closure in the wake of Rouven being arrested and charged with possession of child pornography.
On one hand, one less midtier magic show could send more customers Arthur’s way. On the other hand, the scandal could create confusion about which magician was charged.
But Arthur says “the room was too expensive” and he lost an investor group that was on board when he opened at the Westgate last September (ironically, right at the end of the summer season).
Arthur’s timing last week seemed odd, when he closed right in the middle of the spring break season for schools across the country. But alas, the magician says he “missed that big busy bump” because “March madness” viewing parties took over his theater the past two weeks.
• December’s all-star tribute to Frank Sinatra on CBS was a mixed bag, to say the least. One thing everyone could agree on was the standout performance by Seth MacFarlane, if only because many people may have expected comedy from the “Family Guy” and “Ted” creator, not knowing he has a great voice and has recorded albums of standards.
Steve Wynn apparently agreed, because MacFarlane returns to the Encore Theater April 29 and 30.
Read more from Mike Weatherford at reviewjournal.com. Contact him @mweatherford@reviewjournal.com. Follow him @Mikeweatherford
