I went into Epcot to do one of my favorite things; to see a concert at the American Garden Theater which is located right in front of the American Adventure. This time of the year we get to see the Sounds Like Summer concert series. Performing in this series are tribute bands playing songs of some truly great recording artists.
Performing tonight was Stayin’ Alive. This is a Canadian group that, as you may imagine, are a Bee Gees tribute band. And an excellent one at that!
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Bee Gees, they are a 60’s and 70’s group who are regarded as one of the best known disco artist. The Bee Gees were comprised of three brothers: Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. In addition to being outstanding recording artist they wrote most of their songs and songs for other artists. The group Bee Gees are one of the most successful recording artist having sold more than 200 millions records. They had a couple number ones and a number of top ten songs. Anyway, some of the Bee Gees hit songs are: Night Fever, Stayin’ Alive, Massachusetts, I’ve Got To Get A Message To You, To Love Somebody, How Deep Is Your Love and How Can You Mend A Broken Heart.
Tip: for those of you who don’t recognize songs by their title (like me) you can go to either YouTube.com and find a video or a website like Amazon.com and look up the greatest hits album. Amazon will allow you to play a few seconds of each song; just enough to help you recognize (or not) the song.
The band, Stayin’ Alive, is as close to watching and listening to the real Bee Gees as it gets. The lead singer of Stayin’ Alive had Barry Gibbs falsetto down perfectly and the other vocals and harmonies were excellent. The band sounded great with terrific backup vocals. (Special “hello” to Michael, their outstanding drummer.) I really enjoyed this concert and hope that Disney brings them back next year. Just a great group!
I stayed for all three concerts and each set was very different. Very few of the songs were repeated. The Bee Gees had so many hits it was great that they tried to play most of them. In addition, they did play a couple songs that they wrote for other artists; Grease (Frankie Valli) and Islands In The Stream (Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers). If you ever get a chance to see Stayin’ Alive perform I strongly encourage you to do so. I loved signing along to those great songs. I highly recommend the group!
Here’s a few pictures from tonight’s performance for you to enjoy.
Here’s a couple videos I took of Stayin’ Alive performing:
If you are a fan of the Bee Gees or of the tribute band Stayin’ Alive leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts.
Well, I hope you enjoyed the blog, photos and videos. I know it’s a tough job (me having to attend all these concerts) but someone has got to do it. 🙂
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Well, that’s all for now. As my good friend says “see ya real soon”…DizneyMike
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Hi all….
Thanks for all the great comments and a special thank you to DizneyMike for the great photos and review. Mike is a true gentleman and a pleasure to talk to. You need info on anything Disney Mike is your guy!!
Thank you again Mike. Hope to see you all again next summer!!!
Mike Griffith ( drummer for Stayin Alive ).
DizneyMike replies: Mike, thank you for the very kind words! The band is really outstanding and can’t wait till you return next summer. Best wishes for much success…Mike
Thanks Mike for the great blog. We are going to Disney when the tribute band is for Bon Jovi. Hopefully it will be as good as the Bee Gees. I would have loved to have seen this group. Unfortunately NYS is still in school now and we have to wait. I just cannot wait to go and experience all that you talk about.
Thanks for the blog and videos. Fantastic! I enjoy all your contributions. They are great!
Took my niece to Disney in 2008 for her High School Graduation. Got a chance to see the Stayin Alive concert. They are awsome! It felt like it really was the Bee Gees, they sound so much like them. The kids loved it and a lot of that music was before their time. Thanks for the video. made me feel like I was there again.
DizneyMike replies: Teri, glad you like the video. It’s nice to be able to see a group like Stayin’ Alive perform; whether it’s in person or on video, To me watching them is as good as seeing the Bee Gees themselves….Mike
I got to see this band June 2008, they were very good. I enjoyed it so much I had to pull out the old Bee Gees cd when I got home.
DizneyMike replies: Penny, I got to see them tonight for the second time this year and will be going again tomorrow evening. They are that good….Mike
I love reading your reviews Mike, I may have to change my stance on “absolutely no Florida in the summer” just to see some of the Sounds Like Summer concerts! Oh, and isn’t the Dolly Parton / Kenny Rogers song “Islands in the Stream” instead of “Sky?”
DizneyMike replies: Lori, you are right! Thanks for catching that for me. I just went back and corrected it. Not sure where that came from because I had just heard them sing that and I was singing along with them and I wasn’t saying “sky”. Thanks for commenting…Mike
We were lucky enough to see Stayin’ Alive last year and this year. We visited on the right weekend,they are great! Thanks for the pictures.
DizneyMike replies: Nancy, glad you were lucky enough to see them. Great group…Mike
Saw them Sunday, June 13th. Watched the first set and was really impressed. Thought they would do the same songs in the 2nd set but they specifically said that it would be different.
Last year, the group I saw (parody of ABBA) didn’t say this. I was so impressed with these guys that I went to “Canada” and came back at 7 pm to watch the 2nd set.
Had to leave for Fantasmic at HS and missed the 3rd set. Sorry I missed the 3rd. They were great. Would highly recommend seeing them for anyone going down until June 19th.
DizneyMike replies: Craig, thanks for the great review. Hopefully others will stop by and watch this wonderful group perform….Mike
Mike,
This is a great group! Thanks for the pictures – I really enjoyed the videos as I was unable to make it to the concert. Too bad they’re only at Disney in the summer!
Barbara
DizneyMike replies: Barbara, I’m sure you would have loved to have seen them in person. Maybe next year you’ll have to come back down to your Solivita home when they are at Disney…Mike
These guys are really good. Wish i could see some good entertainment like this once in a while.
DizneyMike replies: Scott, yes they were really good. I guess you’ll just have to move down here so you can go to Epcot as frequently as I do….Mike