So Pop
5th February 2019
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Lauren Sanderson. Photography by Doug Peters.
As soon as I stepped into Spark Arena last night, I could feel the nineties nostalgia hanging thick in the air. This was it…the evening where the neon dreams of thousands of nineties babies would culminate amongst some of the biggest pop names of the decade; So Pop ready to take one and all by the hand for a skip down a glitter covered memory lane.
Featuring a plethora of artists such as Lou Bega, Eiffel 65, Blue, B*Witched, Vengaboys, Aqua and many more, So Pop – hosted by none other than New Zealand’s own queen of TV shopping Suzanne Paul – brought the party to Auckland, transforming the packed-out arena into the ultimate school disco. While Suzanne Paul may not have performed her infamous 1994 hit of ‘Blue Monkey’ (sorry kids!) I do have to give a shout out to resident DJ Nick Skitz, who kept the nineties jams flowing throughout the evening; ensuring that the crowd were already up on their feet dancing before the acts had even begun.
German Eurodance troupe Mr President were the first act to kick it all off, creating a non-stop dance-a-thon with their classic hits ‘Coco Jambo’ and ‘Sweat (A La La La La Long)’ featuring the famous Inner Circle track sample of the same name. Following close behind the American hip house duo of Keith Mayberry and Lamar Mahone aka The Outhere Brothers almost seemed anticlimactic, but certainly keeping within the overarching theme of the night.
However, Lou Bega soon got the crowd pumping as he belted out his 1999 classic ‘Mambo No.5’, I would have to say that that was the moment when it truly felt like we had stepped back twenty years in time. The wide spread smiles throughout the arena just didn’t leave people’s faces as they re-enacted their best dance moves; all the Monica’s, Rita’s and Jessica’s of the crowd standing up proudly as Bega serenaded them.
2 Unlimited soon took things up another notch or two, so much so that I spotted a couple down in front who were performing a swing dance number filled with extravagant lifts! I’m not sure they had the right era, but it was impressive, nonetheless. As their famous number one hit, ‘No Limit’, echoed around the room, it occurred to me that we were raving to nineties techno music at 6.30pm on a Tuesday night – and frankly it felt great.
Eiffel 65 brought their A game, manoeuvring the stage in all black (later even changing into ‘All Blacks’ tops) and led by the resonant vocals of frontman Jeffrey Jey. The infectious nonsense of their hit ‘I’m Blue’ soon leading into a more sombre but heartfelt moment as they performed a beautiful tribute to the late Avicii with their rendition of ‘Without You’; Jey requesting everyone to light up their phones and raise them in the air. “This one is for someone very special; the dance music scene lost a musical legend.”
B*Witched captivated the audience with their Irish charm and although they proved they’ve still got what it takes, I felt that they could have used the support of some dancers to fill out the stage; backing tracks and pretty lighting not quite enough to take their set to the next level. Nevertheless, their vocals gave my arms goose-bumps as they took us back to that stunning garden where their much-loved classic ‘C’est La vie’ was first brought to life; why we even got to see an Irish jig! One small criticism, the foursome remixed Ed Sheeran’s ‘Galway Girl’ with ‘C’est La vie’ and although I could see what they were trying to do, it somewhat sullied the overall sentimental feel of the night.
Blue were up next (cue much screaming from the mainly female contingent of the crowd) kick-starting their set with ‘All Rise’, to which of course we all did, the boys wooing us with their slick dance moves; think the side step grab, the slide and of course the famous mic routine. Lee Ryan hit all the right notes throughout the set and the four-piece still looked and sounded like an actual band which brought a much-needed musicality to a stage that had remained devoid of musical instruments. ‘Too Close’ brought the heat whilst ‘One Love’ transported every girl present back to their childhood bedroom where they would emphatically belt out the line “one love is all we need” into their hairbrush.
Soon enough the beloved Vengaboys were taking us on a journey through our youth aboard the glorious Vengabus in all their over animated bodysuit wearing goodness. Not only did their vocals sound fantastic, their costumes and set were lively and just hands down fun; old music videos playing in the background for that extra touch. Even a microphone malfunction couldn’t stop the Vengaboys powering through ‘We’re Going to Ibiza!’ before ending with a bang as ‘Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!’ brought bouncing beach balls, party streamers and confetti to the crowd … it even rained dollar bills!
Aqua had the illustrious position of bringing So Pop to an end, and they did so with not only a set to remember but the only one to feature actual instruments in the form of drums, guitars and a keyboard. Beginning with ‘Around the World’ it was everything the crowd had been waiting for and more. Of course, firm fan favourite was none other than ‘Barbie Girl’; but I felt that lead singers Lene Nystrøm and René Dif were almost over playing the 1997 hit, which was a shame, but the audience kept it going strong regardless.
Inviting some rather lucky audience members up to the stage for ‘Back to the 80’s’ it was amazing to see such a variety of generations dancing together; one woman so determined to make the most of the moment and dance her heart out that … well let’s just say she bared a little too much to the crowd.
With on point vocals, epic crowd interaction – Nystrøm sitting atop a security guards’ shoulders whilst wading through the fans – and songs such as ‘Dr Jones’ and ‘Cartoon Heroes’ Aqua were the perfect way to finish the pop infused festival of frivolity.
Despite the undeniable cheese factor and a few minor technical issues, So Pop was overall a huge success; and while the artists sets were quite short (that’s just me being greedy) they were polished and achieved their goal of throwing the biggest nineties celebration Auckland has seen to date.
Props!
Were you there at Spark Arena for this magnificent 90’s throw back? Or have you seen any of the acts on the lineup perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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