It’s not very often that you get a front-row seat to rock and roll royalty, which is why I jumped at the chance to see Tom Tom Club when I heard that their tour was rolling through Boston. While the average person may only remember TTC from their 1982 classic “Genius of Love”, the truth is that even though commercial success has eluded the band since their debut, they’ve gone on to  record four additional albums. Of course, we can’t forget that drummer Chris Frantz and bassist Tina Weymouth are better known as 1/2 of Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Famers Talking Heads.

To put it plainly-Tom Tom Club took the stage at the revamped Paradise Rock Club (I still have to get used to the new layout) and turned the mother out. The audience was on High Boogie Alert for the entire 75-minute duration of the show. Joined by a guitarist, a keyboardist, and a DJ, the core lineup of Frantz, Weymouth, and Tina’s sister Laura played with the energy of musicians half their age. I also gotta say that for a 59-year old woman, Tina Weymouth looks and sounds amazing. Sporting pigtails and a short skirt, she danced with the band members, handled lead vocals and shimmied across the stage while delivering her signature rock solid bass lines. She (as well as the rest of the band) appeared to be having a blast on stage , and that energy proved to be contagious.

Closing their set with “Genius of Love”, a cover of Hot Chocolate’s “You Sexy Thing” and “Wordy Rappinghood”, Tom Tom Club ended their set with a bang, leaving their audience wanting more. While a part of me wished that they’d dropped a Heads song or two into the lineup, I can’t say that the absence of any material from Chris & Tina’s original band was felt. Tom Tom Club put on one of the most energetic shows I’ve seen in quite some time. Younger bands should check these guys out and take notes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joB2-baMCBg