Early MTV British hitmakers, Wang Chung, performed a 55-minute set at the Uline Stage at Summerfest late this afternoon that checked all the nosatalgia show boxes. A carefully curated setlist started with minor hits, moved into more obscure and newer material, and ended with sing-alongs and over-the-head handclapping to the biggest hits.

I’ve seen so many throwback tour shows, and some work better than others. Wang Chung – an English New Wave band that formed in 1980 and went from early MTV darlings with “Dance Hall Days” and “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” to staple soundtrack creators who contributed to “The Breakfast Club” and created the entire “To Live and Die in L.A.” album – brought an energy and intimacy that surpassed my expectations.

There are a few reasons why this show came with the special sauce. Perhaps the biggest being that the original founders, Jack Hues and Nick Feldman, remain the frontmen of Wang Chung today. 

Of course, there are examples of replacement musicians fitting in swimmingly with an existing band – Grace Slick stepping in for Signe Anderson in Jefferson Airplane always comes to mind and Mary Ramsey brilliantly and naturally filled Natalie Merchant's shoes after she left the 10,000 Maniacs. But most of the time, having the people who lived through the experiences that later became their art makes the live performance more effusive.

And not only were Hues and Feldman present, they seemed genuinely happy to be there. They looked like they were having fun, and the energy seemed good between the two who jammed in close proximity of one another. Their clothing even loosely matched, both wearing only black and white.

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Another contributing factor to the freshness of this afternoon’s show is because Wang Chung hasn't rested on their '80s laurels.

Although the core of their appeal for many fans is the old hits, the band has continued to create new music and headline tours for decades. Most recently, they have toured with Rick Springfield’s “I Want My MTV” tour and the Mania Festival Tour across Australia. In May, the band released a new, two-disc compilation called “Clear Light/Dark Matter.”

Some of the show’s appeal was that I let go of the reservations I’ve carried in recent years. I didn’t understand why a London-based band picked an Asian name. Was it appropriation? Was it an unfunny joke? It turns out, it was neither. While researching the band before today’s concert, I learned Feldman named the band after coming across the term "Huang Chung” in a book he was reading, which means "yellow bell" in Mandarin. He thought it was a beautiful word and image. However, the band’s label, Geffen, later insisted on the spelling “Wang Chung” to make it easier for Americans to pronounce. 

I also was eye-rolly about how they turned their band name into a verb with the line “everybody Wang Chung tonight.” They replaced “everybody have fun tonight” with their band name, suggesting "having fun” and “Wang Chung” were synonymous. Upon further reflection, this is pretty smart branding. And they leaned into this concept again tonight, when they covered “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by The Clash and replaced the lyrics with “Should I Wang or should I Chung?” I mean, it still struck me as corny, but also, who cares? The bleachers were at capacity. Fans were dancing wildly. Who was I to infuse judgment or gentle sarcasm? 

Finally, a defining moment of the show was when Hues shared a story and ended it with, “When someone tells us not to do something, we do it.” This spoke volumes about a band that both leans into their 80s success and strives to work beyond it – even if it’s for a smaller pool of diehard fans. This is true love of the craft. This is "giving no Fs" that only comes with age. And this is what we saw today.  

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Set list:

“Wait”
“Fire In the Twilight”
“Hypnotize Me”
“To Live and Die in LA”
“Rent Free”
“Let’s Go”
“Dance Hall Days”
“Should I Stay or Should I Go?” (The Clash)
“Everybody Have Fun Tonight”