39 LY'rt' Survey for Week Ending 3/3/84 Talent &Venues bienE In AcEion MENUDO ed a cold shoulder. The comedian got plenty of rate styles. respect from the mostly college -age crowd that öoxscoi'e Radio City Music Hall, New York Above on keyboards. Tom Harris sang a silky filled the famed deco palace Feb. 11. And the Tickets: $18 ballad entitled "I believe In You And Me." Later audience got a joke a second. T.J. Street invented a new genre with has be- The question of where music ends and mar- The only problem with Dangerfield's show bop rap during two numbers with the group. The following are among the top concert grosses nationwide reported through the survey week. Included are keting begins has seldom been as bafflingly was, in fact, his lightning -fast delivery. His one - act(s), gross, attendance, capacity of facility, ticket prices, promoter, facility, city, number of shows, number of Puerto Rican Arista trumpeter Tom Browne is conserva- sellouts and dates(s). posed as it is by Menudo, the pop liners came so rapidly that many were lost in was high - phenomenon that began a 10 -show stand at the howls that followed each of his best jokes. tive only in his dress. His hour set a Among the top concert grosses through Feb. 21. Funkytown, the Carib- this venerable hall Feb. 14, simultaneous with For those in the back of the orchestra and the powered cruise through NEIL DIAMOND 55,783, $17 & $15, Concerts West /Electric -$923,209, the release of their first English-language al- bean and Detroit. Browne was equally effective Factory Concerts, Spectrum, Philadelphia, three sellouts, Feb. 4, 6 -7. upper tiers (the "no respect seats," according "Reaching Out." with his instrument and with the rack of techni- NEIL DIAMOND -$653,552, 39,915, $17 & $15, Concerts West, Cen- bum, to the ad), this problem was compounded by with bass- trum, Worcester, Mass., three sellouts, Feb. 10 -12. It would he both overly cynical and inaccu- the inability to see Dangerfield's sad -sack fa- cal toys at his fingertips. Combined rate to dismiss Menudo as a no- talent group dal expressions or catch some of the muffled ist Steve Piele's chords, Browne's echo effects NEIL DIAMOND $17.25 & $15.25, Concerts West, a -$581,279, 35,226, being hyped on image alone. But it would be lines. A handful of hecklers who refused to give and vocal synthesizers added slick studio Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pa., two sellouts, Feb. 14 -15. naive to suggest that their talent is much more help, either. sound to the show. NEIL DIAMOND -$559,733, 33,308, $17. 25 & $15.25, Concerts West, up didn't than minimal. But one really had no reason to complain. Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, two sellouts, Feb. 16 -17. Three songs into the set, vocalist Natalie Although Menudo inspires the kind of teen- After all these years, Dangerfield is still hilari- OAK RIDGE BOYS- $547,746, 41,203 (41,733), $16.50, $11.50 & Jackson came on and began a friendly bout age hysteria once associated with the Beatles, ous. His time -tested jabs at his own appear- $6.50, Ray Shepardson, Fox Theater, St. Louis, nine performances, seven with Browne for center stage. She's a charis- sellouts, house sellout record. Feb. 14 -19. they are more analogous to the Jackson Five. ance, childhood, love life, family, drinking, doc- matic performer with a voice equally at ease ón Like that group in its heyday, the members of tor, and even his dog managed to keep Radio NEIL DIAMOND -$537,422, 32,428, $15 & $10, Concerts West, Hart- the sultry grooves and the high notes of Menudo are young and cute, they don't write City in stitches from the moment the stocky, ford (Conn.) Civic Center, two sellouts, Feb. 8 -9. Browne's .more traditional jazz numbers. Her their own material, and they have been careful- sweaty 62- year -old comic took the stage. BILLY JOEL -$518, 324, 37,416, $15 & $12.50, Spectrum, Philadel- talent was best displayed on the crowd- pleas- ly coached in what to do on a stage: their men- Dangerfield was preceded by singer John phia, two sellouts, Feb. 13 -14. ing "Midnight Interlude." tor Edgardo Diaz is a kind of one -man equiva- WILLIE NELSON, WAYLON JENNINGS, HEARTS ON FIRE -$439,680, Sebastian ( recenty reviewed in Billboard) and 24,454 (27,736), $20 & $17.50, Charlie Magoo Prods., Cow Palace, San lent of the Motown show -biz machine of old. a showing of Dangerfield's video, "Rappin' Another highlight was Browne's rambling Francisco, Feb. 10 -11. But nobody ever got kicked out of the Jack- Rodney," which recently garnered some MN 1980 hit "Funkin' For Jamaica," featuring an son Five for being too old (Menudo's notorious BILLY JOEL- $247,530, 16,502, $15, Cellar Door Concerts, Capitol Cen- play. JEFF TAMARKIN animated rap between Piele and the guitarist. ter, Landover, Md., sellout, Jan. 28. mandatory retirement age of 16 has given them The tittle track of Browne's current album OZZY OSBOURNE, MOTLEY CRUE- $213,651, 16,032, $13.50, Pace a shifting personnel similar to that of a profes- TOM BROWNE "Rockin' Radio" closed the set. Concerts, Reunion Arena, Dallas, sellout, Feb. 16. sional sports team). And the Jacksons had the KIM FREEMAN VAN HALEN- $213,750, 18,500, $11.50, Cellar Door Concerts, Free- Motown tunesmiths to give them classic mate- NORMAN CONNORS & THE dom Hall, Louisville, Ky., sellout, Feb. 9. rial; Menudo's music, while bouncy and STARSHIP ORCHESTRA BILLY JOEL- $196,707, 13,697, $15 & $12.50, Brass Ring Prods., catchy, is also syrupy and derivative. Their America Sings In Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, Mich., sellout, Feb. 4. songs are cleverly crafted to appeal to adoles- The Bottom Line, New York `Lonely Guy' Film Z Z TOP, ERIC MARTIN BAND, NIGHT RANGER -$192,956, 14,293, cent ears, but there isn't an "I Want You Admission: $8.50 $13.50, Beaver Prods., Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Miss., sellout, Back," in the bunch. Feb. 12. It is significant that, although the capacity The Bottom Line kicked off its series of 10th LOS ANGELES -America is RE- - POLICE, FLEX -$171,015, 11,401, $15, Mid -South Concerts, Mid crowd responded enthusiastically to everything anniversary celebrations Feb. 11 with a night slated to perform the theme song to South Coliseum, Memphis, sellout, Feb. 16. Menudo sang, some of the loudest ovations of exuberant jazz. Opening the evening was the upcoming Steve Martin comedy, POLICE, RE- FLEX -$166,170, 11,259 (13,202), $15, Whispers Con- came during a medley of other artists' recent Norman Connors & the Starship Orchestra, a "The Lonely Guy." The song, "Love certs, Charleston (W. Va.) Civic Center, Feb. 13. top 10 hits. The arrangements of these num- tight instrumental combo with a piercing pro- Comes Without Warning," was co- VAN HALEN- $155,338, 12,500, $12.50, Cellar Door Concerts, Rich- bers were carbon copies of the records, and gressive style. Highlight of this set was the written by John Bettis and Oscar - mond (Va.) Feb. Coliseum, sellout, 12. the performances were for the most part pe- showcasing of two singers with widely dispa- winner Jerry Goldsmith. DURAN DURAN, CHRIS BLISS -$149,167, 10,079 (14,307), $15 & destrian. But the songs stood out because they $12.50, Evening Star Prods., ASU Activity Center, Temple, Ariz., Feb. 8. were so much better than almost anything in BILLY JOEL- $143,636, 10,200, $15 & $12.50, Pioneer Prods. /Sound Seventy Prods., Murphy Center, MTSU, Murphreesboro, Tenn., sellout, Feb. Menudo's repertoire. 9. That repertoire may be improving, though, as Diaz sets his sight on crossing over. "Like A VAN HALEN- $141,375, 12,468, $12.50, Cellar Door Concerts /Beach Cannonball," the first Menudo song to be writ- Club Presents, Charlotte (N.C.) Coliseum, sellout, Feb. 14. WILLIE NELSON-$131,125, 9,800 (17,010), $15 & $12.50, Feyline ten in English (everything else on the new al- Presents, NBC Arena, Honolulu Arena, Hawaii, two shows, Feb. 12 -13. bum is a translation of an earlier Spanish -lan- Z Z TOP, ERIC MARTIN BAND -$130,652, 10,696, $12.50, Beaver guage hit), has a contemporary top 40 sound Prods., Notre Dame ACC, S. Bend, Ind., sellout, Feb. 9. to it. As sung by new member Robby Rosa in a VAN HALEN- $127,437, 10,195, $12.50, Cellar Door Concerts, Charles- reedy but impassioned voice, it seemed as ton (W. Va.) Civic Center, sellout, Feb. 5. blandly bubbly as the rest of Menudos songs, DURAN DURAN, FERRARI -$125,949, 9,609, $13.50 & $12.50, Con- but quite a bit hipper. temporary Productions, Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, sellout, Feb. 18. The entire 90- minute show was very elaborate, Thank VAN HALEN- $123,088, 9,900, $12.50, Beach Club Presents /Cellar with colorful backdrops and a troupe of lively, nu- Door Concerts, Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tenn., sellout, Feb. 11. bile female dancers. But there was no band; VAN HALEN- $121,975, 10,000, $12.50, Beach Club Presents /Cellar Menudo sang to the accompaniment of a tape. Door Concerts, Civic Coliseum, Knoxville, Tenn., sellout, Feb. 10. That would have been a tacky move anywhere, LOVERBOY, STREETS-$112,248, 9,193 (11,277), $12.50 & $11.50, but it seemed especially so at Radio City. Contemporary Presentations, Peoria (Ill.) Civic Center, Feb. 9. PETER KEEPNEWS You Z Z TOP, ERIC MARTIN BAND -$110,688, 8,855, $12.50, Beaver Prods., Metro Center, Rockford, Ill., sellout, Feb.