By Maariya Rahman
Just when you thought VH1 had completely transformed into the next E! channel, they detoured back to their roots with the runaway hit “Bands Reunited.” VH1 just aired its second season of “Bands Reunited” this past week, after the first season (which aired this past January) was a much bigger success than anticipated.
The series revolves around host Aamer Haleem flying all around the world to track down the former band mates (of bands that had broken up), and convince them to participate in a one night only reunion concert with their old bandmates.
The first season featured the bands Berlin, Romeo Void, A Flock of Seagulls, Klymaxx, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Kajagoogoo, Extreme, Dramarama, The Alarm and Squeeze.
“It ended too soon, everything great always ends too soon,” said Berlin’s Terri Nunn of the reunion concert. “None of us ever thought this would happen again, not in this lifetime.”
“There is no reason why this should have worked as well as it did, but it just did, I think that is just the lucky magic that we have always had,” said Dave Diamond of Berlin. Lead singer of A Flock Of Seagulls, Mike Score (who was the most reluctant to do the reunion) ended up saying “This thing works, you put these four people together and something clicks, I always think that is why it was such a great band, because it clicked.”
“If Mike asked me to get the band back together, I would do it tomorrow!” said bassist Frank Maudsley at the reunion. Maudsley had felt so good about the reunion that he moved his family back to England.
“How am I ever going to go back to the cubicle farm?” said a teary-eyed Lynn Malsby (keyboardist of Klymaxx) after the Klymaxx reunion.
“This whole experience that VH1 has given to us has been life changing, at many levels, I can guarantee you, whatever happens, it’s been life changing,” said bassist of Kajagoogoo, Nick Beggs.
The show got an overwhelmingly positive response, as the VH1 message boards became flooded with giddy fans passionately exchanging inquires about the bands and the show. Many of the artists themselves joined the board to talk to their fans. The demand for the show was massive. As for the 10 featured bands in season one; their fame has re-launched and skyrocketed to a new level. In addition, they gained a whole new generation of fans.
A key to the success of the series was the persistence and enthusiasm of host Aamer Haleem, who made an extremely difficult job seem effortless. “[Haleem was] kind of like mother VH1 saying ‘now children, stop misbehaving, it’s time to play nicely together,'” Nick Beggs said.
“We’re rebuilding relationships that broke down 20 years ago. We’re that much older and wiser about life in general,” said Steve Askew of Kajagoogoo.
“Being on this show has changed my life,” Terri Nunn said.
“You guys have been kind enough to bring us together for a couple of days. It wouldn’t have happened, we wouldn’t have called each other, we haven’t spoken to each other in years,” said John Crawford of Berlin.
“To be back together it felt absolutely fantastic, a dream come true, it was awesome, there’s no other words to describe it, I will start crying, absolutely awesome,” Paul Reynolds of A Flock Of Seagulls said of the reunion.
“It was so much more than we expected,” said Nunn, “it’s too special for words; it literally is like family reuniting.” “There’s people that are still there for you like it was yesterday, they got the albums and pins and things, it’s amazing,” said Chris Carter of Dramarama.
Dramarama and Kajagoogoo have now reformed and the original A Flock Of Seagulls are talking about the possibility of a tour (after A Flock Of Seagulls had broken up, Mike Score had re-formed the band with new members). The original Klymaxx (minus Cheryl Cooley) went back to the studio to record new music together after their reunion (after the original break up of Klymaxx, guitarist Cheryl Cooley took the Klymaxx name and formed a new band). The original Klymaxx also created their own website ( www.klymaxx.org). Ric Olsen, the guitarist for Berlin, created a Website for the original Berlin (after the band broke up, Terri Nunn re-formed the group with new members), which is www.berlin80s.com. All this was thanks to “Bands Reunited.”
Fans felt this show was great because it brought back so many wonderful memories and it took the viewers back to a time when it was more about the music. “What this show is doing is bringing back so much great nostalgia and happy memories that I find myself welling up every time I watch the show,” a viewer said on the message boards. The unanimous verdict from fans and critics of the first season of “Bands Reunited” was “Pure Retro Bliss.”
However, the second season of “Bands Reunited” turned out to be a disappointment. The second season only featured five bands-Haircut 100, New Kids on the Block, ABC, The English Beat and The Motels. It was originally announced that the second season would air in the summer, but it didn’t air until Labor Day. They left out many details that they included in the first season such as where the reunion concerts took place and how they tracked down the difficult to find band members.
There was only a complete reunion of two out of the five bands-Haircut 100 and
The Motels. The failed attempt to reunite New Kids on the Block (the one which the viewers were most excited about) left many longtime fans to lose their respect for the band. The only members who agreed to reunite out of the five of them were the brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight. A theory that has become popular among the viewers as to why they did not reunite was best summed up by the following quote from a viewer on the message boards, “It’s been way too soon since they broke up, New Kids On The Block are still too full of themselves to care about getting back together, they’re neither desperate (still living off their millions that they conned out of many teenage girls during that time), nor nostalgic about their time in the spotlight. Give them 15 more years when they’re all even fatter, uglier and all but forgotten, then they’ll be only wishing for VH1 to come to their doorsteps and ask.” It seems the second season’s targets had some tougher nuts to crack.
In season one, the turnover was a lot less-seven out of the 10 bands reunited. Frankie Goes to Hollywood was all set and ready to perform, but lead vocalist Holly Johnson got cold feet at the last second. Squeeze could not reunite due to a scheduling conflict. Extreme did not reunite because guitarist Nuno Bettencourt did not approve of the manner in which VH1 approached him.
As for the second season-The English beat did have a reunion to reminisce about the old days with four out of the six members. Since three of the six members have been currently performing as their own group, The Beat (vocalist MC Ranking Roger, drummer Everett Morton, and saxophonist Saxa), they had a gig that very night and invited vocalist/ guitarist David Wakeling to come perform with them. The ABC reunion, though incomplete, did bring some nostalgic joy to the viewers, as Nick Beggs came and filled in at the ABC reunion as the bassist, and helped put the ABC reunion together. Fans were filled with glee as if Beggs has become an old friend of the viewers since season one. Since only two of the original members of ABC agreed to the reunion (vocalist Martin Fry and drummer David Palmer), the gaps in the band were filled with session musicians for the reunion concert. “Some of the guys couldn’t make it, but there’s (still) a lot of energy up there, there were some big smiles at the end of that, it was a good feeling, and you can’t buy that,” said Fry. The grand finale to season two was The Motels. VH1 truly saved the best for last, as this reunion was well received by viewers, because it possessed the energy and spirit of the first season.
Even though season two was not quite as powerful as season one, it was still just as addictive, and had the same affect on the audience and the reunited musicians. “The show was wonderful,” said Nick Beggs. “I’m glad I could just help [Martin Fry] to experience a bit of what I experienced.” Beggs was more than happy to be back performing once again in this encore season.
“It was such a warm, open, wonderful feeling that, I mean, whatever reservations or animosity or any-it was PFFT! Gone, just gone,” said Adrian Peritore, guitarist of The Motels,”Right from the first downbeat it all came flooding back to me about how great it was to play with these guys; and what is all this bull**** I have been carrying for all these years?”
“I’m quite surprised it went so well, I enjoyed every minute of it,” said Everett Morton.
“The original spirit we had in the beginning is still there,” said Ranking Roger. “The passage of time meant we can’t really remember what we had arguments about, let alone how the band brought about its demise,” said percussionist of Haircut 100, Mark Fox.
“We have this condition-a twitch, that it just works,” said Blair Cunningham of Haircut 100.
Haircut 100 is now talking about the possibility of getting back together. “Everyone really enjoyed playing together again and we all got on really well. We also decided that we wanted to do at least another tour in the US and maybe a new album,” said bassist Les Nemes.
Even after season two, petitions are still circulating from the viewers for the demand for a “Bands Reunited” tour, soundtrack and DVD, because the fans feel that the bands played better at their reunion concerts than back in their hay day. “They were better tonight than they were then,” said a fan at the Berlin reunion in season one.
“After 22 years, it is still absolutely fantastic, it was like being at their first gig,” said a fan at the Haircut 100 reunion. “It was well worth the wait,” said a fan at the ABC reunion.
“It was too good. It was more than we could’ve ever imagined,” said a couple at the reunion of The Motels.
The third season is scheduled to air in November. Among the bands that will be featured are Vixen and Scandal. Fans are hoping it won’t be a repeat of this season; hoping they return to their roots of the first season, and that it won’t turn into another version of “Behind the Music.”