Richmond VA – I had the opportunity to take in a Tiffany performance at The Tin Pan in Richmond, VA on November 4, 2021. Back in the day, the music of her self-named first album, Tiffany, released in 1987, pushed the decibel limits of my ’84 Mazda B2000’s Kraco sound system. To be honest, I had not followed her career much between the days of my youth and her current 2021 tour. Much like running into an old friend at a 30 year class reunion, I expected a Tiffany that had grown up but whose music sounded the same as it did blaring from my Kraco speakers. I was thinking this would be a performance that would take me back to my younger days, when 80s pop made my world go round. Boy, was I wrong! We were treated to a rockingly, powerful performance with songs, new and old, carrying a hint 80s pop and a whole lot of power.
Tiffany opened with “Hey Baby”, the heart pounding with a little bit of punk riff single from her upcoming album, Shadows. With an awesome band backing her up, including LA Guns’ Johnny Martin (bass) and Scot Coogan (drums), as well as Mark Alberici (guitar) and Josh Sampson (guitar), Tiffany had the walls shaking out of the gate.
Two additional songs from the upcoming album, “I Like the Rain” and the title track, “Shadows” followed. As with the opening song, these two pieces were rocking and had heads bobbing in the nearly sold out Tin Pan. With Scot and Johnny in the mix, the songs had a very strong LA Guns influence and added a whole new dimension to the experience. What was even better is how Tiffany’s strong vocals complimented the rhythms.
Following the three songs from her upcoming album, she went into “Beautiful”, from her Pieces of Me album. When she finished, she stepped out for a second. Upon her return, she noted that she was a little shorter as she had to take off her shoes. Going into her next song, “Waste of Time” she was able to show off some shoeless dance moves while several fans stood at their tables and joined in.
A few dance moves later she went into “King of Lies” followed by “Could’ve Been”. Of course, the latter was an old favorite and we found out later that she was advised against singing it in her youth because it was ‘too mature’. Her response? “Have you ever seen a 14 year old in love?”
Those of us who remember the 80s know Tiffany also has an awesome cover of the Beatles’ tune, “I Saw Him Standing There” and she did not disappoint! By this time the table dancing and the ‘oooo’ ing was in full swing and everyone was enjoying the trip back in time with a rocking new twist.
For her friend Joey, she sang another new song, “Bed of Nails”, also from her upcoming album. Just as the others, her voice complimented the powerful riffs and beat. As she pointed out, the vocals for this song on the album were done in one take.
The night was not without a little ad-libbing. After “You’re Everything” someone from the audience yelled, “All This Time”. Tiffany obliged with a very powerful a cappella version of the song. Did I tell you how much I love live shows? When she was done, the audience erupted in applause.
By this time the show was winding down, but the audience was still winding up. We learned that in her career she has learned a lot about the timing of her music, for example, it was in bad taste to wish someone a happy anniversary just before breaking into an emotional “Could’ve Been”. She did not make that mistake with the next song, celebrating Cheryl’s birthday with “Rocking in the Free World”. When done, she bid the audience a good night and walked off the stage. Of course the ensuing standing ovation brought her back her back on stage and we were all treated to a rock, pop version of the song that took us back to the 80s, “I Think We’re Alone Now”. The audience went wild!
As we left for the night, there was an air of youth in the voices of all who had attended. It was obvious that many had expected to meet the Tiffany of their youth and were overjoyed at how she had grown and evolved beyond the 80s pop icon into a rockin’ poppin’ rock star. I was fortunate to catch a glimpse of the fusion of icons (Tiffany and LA Guns) that will be available to all upon the release of her Shadows album in the coming months. When you hear the music you will recognize the the 80s but will love the way it sounds!
Tiffany PHOTO GALLERY
Tiffany Setlist
Hey Baby
I Like the Rain
Shadows
Beautiful
Waste of Time
King of Lies
Could’ve Been
I Saw Him Standing There
Bed of Nails
You’re Everything
All This Time (a cappella version, adlibbed).
Lost Inside
Keep on Swinging
Rocking in the Free World
Encore
I Think We’re Alone Now
SHOW DATE: November 4, 2021
