“Totally ‘80s” Tour with Big Country, Bow Wow Wow, Tommy Tutone, and Gene Loves Jezebel rocks Jergel’s

By Dave Parsons

Somewhere just north of Pittsburgh, in the modest suburb of Warrendale, the heartbeat of the ’80s and early ’90s rock scene came galloping back to life in the most intimate of spaces: Jergel’s Rhythm Grille. With its wraparound balcony, rustic floors, and velvet black stage curtains, Jergel’s has become a hub for seasoned acts and faithful fans alike. A venue where the crowd isn’t so much an audience as they are fellow cast members. The ceiling felt a little lower, the beer a little colder, and the riffs a whole lot louder on June 16, 2025, when the Totally ‘80s Tour brought Big Country, Bow Wow Wow, Tommy Tutone, and Gene Loves Jezebel under one roof.

No festival fields, no echo chambers, no Jumbotron required. Just amps, leather jackets, and voices raised in unison.

By 6:30 p.m., the house was filling up nicely, considering it was a Monday night in June. Neon-splashed T-shirts, vintage tour jackets, and freshly printed merch tees painted a timeline of devotion. Nostalgia was the currency of the night, and Jergel’s was dealing in high volume. But nostalgia doesn’t mean passivity. When Bow Wow Wow took the stage, the crowd wasn’t just reminiscing, but they were reliving.

Opening with Aphrodisiac and Baby Oh No, the party was on right out of the gate.  Dame Madelyn is handling the lead vocals for Bow Wow Wow now, with a gleam in her eye and non-stop energy. The real magic came with the hit C30 C60 C90, and when I Want Candy finally dropped, it was pure frenzy. The kind of song that somehow hits harder when it bounces off a low roof and a thousand memories.

The band is filled with battle-tested musicians, and matched her energy beat for beat. It was an invitation back to a time when rebellion was neon-colored and bass-driven, disguised as a greatest hits set.

After a very short changeover time, the lights dropped for Gene Loves Jezebel.  The mood changed from pop, sunny day skies to nighttime confessional. The set opened with Heartache, which rolled out like melancholy dressed in glam.

Together, they formed a harmonic push-pull, with each chorus of Always a Flame and Downhill Both Ways wringing emotion from the crowd. The audience seemed to enjoy the theatrical delivery, and a few newer fans standing next to me nodded in agreement with the presentation.

Desire (Come and Get It) was the moneymaker, of course. Coming off almost like a séance, and reminding people that ’80s music could get very moody, the crowd swayed, mouths open, eyes closed, and in an age of empty lyrics and generic delivery, Gene Loves Jezebel’s sincerity hit like gospel.

Tommy Heath, looking more like the cool professor of your dreams than a power pop icon, strode on stage to a wave of affectionate cheers. Launching into Money To Burn, and Sylvia, the mood swung back to the gnarly party mode.

Every song was a road trip through the audience’s youth.  The heartbreak of Angel Say No, the barstool wisdom of Which Man Are You, and the whoa in hearing an up-tempo version of Jim Croce’s Operator. Fans sang along, word for word, with reverence.  These were songs that they probably hadn’t heard, especially live, in decades, and the room filled with memories.  Some of those memories were being shared, verbally, by those watching on the dancefloor.

And when the opening chords of 867-5309/Jenny came around, the energy in the room reached a peak. Phones went up, lyrics were sung at the top of their lungs (some in key!), and for those three minutes, everyone was sixteen again. Good ole Tommy Heath became rock legend Tommy Tutone in the blink of an eye.  The power of one song done right, without irony, without gimmick, but with the original artist offering it with the genuine warmth of someone appreciative of the collective memories in the room, was very nice to see.  He went straight to the merch table to sign, and then went out on the porch to talk to folks when Big Country took the stage.

Big Country, those Scots who made guitars sound like bagpipes and turned steel mills into songs, took the stage batting cleanup for the night. Although Stuart Adamson departed this world long ago, the spirit of Big Country has been preserved by frontman Paul Cunningham, who now steers the ship with grace.

Opening with Driving to Damascus, the band immediately grounded us in their soundscape. Songs like Look Away and Steeltown followed, each note as much a declaration as a memory. Porrohman and Lost Patrol brought the memories. By the time 1000 Stars and Chance rolled around, there wasn’t a dry eye or still foot in the house. And in a Big Country was the surge of energy, frozen in time.

Closing with Fields of Fire, the band took their bows amid a room clapping in perfect unison. It was one of those moments where time folds in on itself and all you’re left with is gratitude.

Bow Wow Wow

Aphrodisiac

Baby Oh No

Do You Wanna Hold Me?

These Boots Are Made For Walking

Go Wild In the Country

C30 C60 C90

I Want Candy

What’s the Time?

Gene Loves Jezebel

Heartache

Always a Flame

Downhill Both Ways

Cow

Loving You Is the Best Revenge

20 Killer Hurts

Bruises

Gorgeous

Desire (Come and Get It)

Tommy Tutone

Money To Burn

Sylvia

Angel Say No

Cheap Date

Which Man Are You

Rotate

Lucky That Way

Mountain Dos and Don’ts

Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels)

It Is What It Is

Steal Away

Wild World

867-5309/Jenny

Big Country

Driving to Damascus

Look Away

Steeltown

Lost Patrol

Porrohman

Harvest Home

1000 Stars

Ships

We’re Not in Kansas

Chance

In a Big Country

Wonderland

Fields of Fire