Review: Debbie Gibson Sings and Celebrates The OUT OF THE BLUE 35TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT At 54 Below

Heigh-Ho, My Merry Rainbow Lovelies! Bobby Patrick, your RAINBOW Reviewer here. Putting the silent T in cabareT to bring you ALL the Tea!

Well, my dear Bobby readers, we are all flutter from Thursday night's adventure at 54 Below as GORGEOUS recording artist, Debbie Gibson, came out to celebrate the 35TH ANNIVERSARY of her triple platinum selling album - OUT OF THE BLUE... And speaking of triples, this celebration is a triple-night event with more shows this Sunday & Monday at 54 and with Monday's show streaming online. Now we started with all that info and the links because, and trust Bobby on this, you should all make the clickets for the tickets because this show is not to be missed.

More than an 80's tribute show by an actress-turned-pop-star-turned-actress, and oh so much more than grabbing at former glories, Ms. Gibson, who was a Long Island teen with Broadway dreams when fame came a-knockin', showed ALL her prowess as a performer, songwriter, and musician. A forerunner of Ms. Spears and Ms. Swift with a vocal range and power that both ladies envy if they have sense, Gibson moved from piano to microphone and back, talking to her Diamonds (Debbie's Diamonds her fanzillas are called) her family (cousin Rose) and her enthusiastic audience as she worked sans any scripted cabaret banter because she simply didn't need any. "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them," someone once said AND sometimes some are gifted with all three - and yes, Bobby knows it was William... somebody who said that. In Debbie Gibson's case, it was all right place, right time with all the right stuff. From birth, she had an innate talent for music, singing, and playing coupled with her inimitable songwriting ability applied to STACKS of notebooks throughout her young life and a suggestion by a family member that she should let "so & so" hear her self-made demo. Add it all up and you get all the born, achieve, and thrusted greatness that lead her to pop stardom at 16 with the sustainability to be here and now performing music for us to hear in the here and now. OUT OF THE BLUE was, quite frankly, one of the greats of the late 80s pop era. The kind of album that yielded hit after danceable hit A-side to B-side. The evening included all ten cuts from OOTB along with a few other career highlights and an impromptu rendition (to cover a few minutes of technical snafus) of Elton John's CROCODILE ROCK thrown in for good measure. And speaking of Elton, in Bobby's humble O, the lady's ebullience, vulnerability, and sense of humor on top of her performing self-penned pop all combined really do rank her among the best of the stars that do it all. To call her the "female Billy Joel" is to be disingenuous of the work she does since she is an original with music that flows in, around, and through her like The Force. Clearly, Bobby is not going to be able to say enough good about what we saw because there is nothing but good to say.

One of the most potent aspects of the 54 Below concert was Gibson taking chances by taking new approaches to her long-standing hits. Beginning the night with just herself performing acoustic arrangements for the first few songs, monkeying with tempos, keys, and chord progressions, her true artist's soul shown through her superb solo musicianship before being joined by unbelievable support players: Adam Tese on Saxophone/Percussion, Jameison Ledonio on Guitar, and backup singers - Devon Marie and Ronda Resse-Heaggans. Making meals out of any mistakes that happened, laughing at herself, and laughing with her band, her diamonds, and family members in the audience (Cousin Rose) she just, quite frankly, put on a show - something she was born to do. Highlights of the night included her first ever live, in-concert performance of her challenging WAKE UP TO LOVE - a song she said was really hard to do, her put-in of Kander & Ebb's MAYBE THIS TIME (She was a Broadway Sally Bowles, don't ya know) and her mash-up of the title track from her 1989 album, ELECTRIC YOUTH with Portugal's FEEL IT STILL which made Bobby write "Holy WOW" in our little notebook. Not to be bested by the work of other music makers, the finale of her songs LOST IN YOUR EYES and LEGENDARY (dedicated to her mom to whom she had to say goodbye earlier this year) was as meaningful as they were rock and roll tributes. In all, it was abundantly clear why the lady was named one of Billboard's Top 60 Female Artists of All Time. To sum up my lambs, La Gibson's OUT OF THE BLUE 35TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT is a treasure you should all unearth since Bobby gives this one...

5 Out Of 5 Rainbows!

Clearly, this one is not to be missed and the good news is, YOU DON'T HAVE TO my rainbow tribe. There are 2 more chances to see Debbie Gibson live at 54 Below and if, as Bobby predicts there are no tickets to be got, there is the streaming of Monday night's show available to all.

Get Advance Tickets To OUT OF THE BLUE Live At 54 Below: HERE

Get Set Up To Steam The Concert Live: HERE

And become one of Debbie's Diamonds at her Webby Site: HERE

All Photos By Yours Truly, Bobby Patrick

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