CONCERT REVIEW: Totally Tubular Festival at RiverEdge Park, Aurora, IL 8/16/2026

Sunday In The Park With Alex – A Totally Tubular Experience by Ellen the Felon with Alex Zander

“We were somewhere around Aurora, on the edge of the river, when the drugs began to take hold.”... Actually, we were at River’s Edge Park and it was edibles for me, a few hours before the 2026 Totally Tubular Festival started. Now, I’ve seen shows with my old pal Alex Zander, before, but never at this venue and never as his Media Pass plus one. After spending the earlier part of the day co-hosting his MKULTRASOUND  PodCast, we headed out to the far western Chicago burbs to see a show we were both really excited about. The lineup was a stellar exhibition of some excellent 80’s bands:

Tommy Tutone

The Escape Club

Animotion

The Producers

Men Without Hats

A Flock of Seagulls

Thomas Dolby and The Lost Toy People 

As we entered the venue, we were immediately greeted by friendly, helpful staff, all of whom were about the same age as we are. And we’re not 2 minutes in the place and the guy giving patrons drink wristbands from his electric wheelchair immediately recognized AZ from “the old days”  in the city (encounter # 1). Getting passes and tickets at Will Call and going through security was incredibly easy. The venue itself had been newly remodeled and was spacious, clean and a far more comfortable outdoor concert space than any places we’ve been to in the city. Even the bathrooms were spotless! (The updates included an expanded grass seating area, a new southern entryway, a sponsor skydeck, upgraded sound systems, and new jumbotrons) The coolest part about the place was that it’s literally tucked along the Fox River (a landmark with trails AZ has biked before). Obviously, for a nostalgia show like this, the place was filled with Boomers and Gen-Xers, some dressed in their best 80’s finery. And I say “filled”, not “packed”… There were maybe 5,000 people in attendance, which felt comfortable and not too “peopley”. I was extremely impressed that they even had an ADA section, complete with a wheelchair ramp and comfy, padded folding chairs, with a great view of the stage (and my RA addled body DID end up there towards the end of the night).

Of course, as we explored this space, that was new to both of us, we were both impressed with the set up. As we were sitting on a bench, trying to grab some shade from the sweltering, sticky heat, a guy came up to us, telling AZ that he and his wife had noticed him from afar and he apparently looked EXACTLY like this guy’s deceased brother. I took pics of them and they DID actually resemble each other a bit. The guy was very pleased, to say the least. (encounter #2).

Immediately after this, a cool looking Asian concert photographer came up to us and exclaimed that he recognized AZ from a Rick Springfield show at the Metro  (encounter #3). After downing water, Gatorade and beer to quench our thirst, a breeze finally came in off the river as the clouds began to build in the sky. Before we knew it, the clock struck 7 PM and the show was starting RIGHT ON TIME!

First up was Tommy Tutone, who was clearly having fun, but was a bit off key at certain times during his performance and may or may not have been intoxicated. Of course, everyone jumped up for “867-5309/Jenny”. The Escape Club was up next and their big hit “Wild, Wild West” was a definite crowd pleaser. I should note that because this tour has been going since June across the country, they clearly have it down to a science, because the stage changeovers between each band’s set were quick – like 5-10 minutes quick, so as not to lose the momentum of each band. It was VERY impressive, to say the least.

The third band to play was Animotion, an old fave of mine from back in the day. They were clearly having a fantastic time performing and despite doing only a 3 song set, when they played their hit, “Obsession” (which was recently used in the trailer for the film “MAXXINE”), the crowd loved it. The BEST part was that after their set, they actually came out into the audience to take pictures and talk with their fans. Astrid Plane was a riot and Alex spoke with her for a few minutes and I took a few photos of them chatting. Bill Wadhams was a delight to talk to. After taking pictures with him and getting a nice hug, I actually confessed to him that I had a massive crush on him back in the day (along with Adam Ant and Bowie, which is GREAT company)… He was so flattered that he made me repeat it on video into his phone! Surprisingly, he even gave me a kiss for that! He also spent time talking to AZ, who told him that he used to play the hell out of them when he was a radio DJ back in Pittsburgh in the late 80’s, (We also talked about the resurgence of their big hit due to the trailer and the soundtrack for the horror movie MAXXXINE and he told me about how he loved how the placement of the song was included in the particular movie scene which it was featured. – az) Bill was again flattered, humbled and gave AZ a huge, appreciative hug after filming him repeating his conversation on video . Having spent time around arrogant, narcissistic musicians, both AZ and I were very impressed with both Astrid and Bill’s humbleness, generosity and true appreciation of their fans.

“Obsession”  by Holly Knight and Michael Des Barres, written and recorded in 1983. This version was played in the romantic drama film A Night in Heaven but will live forever in my mind as part of the Ty West Trilogy starring Mia Goth. – az

The Producers played next and they were our least favorite band of the night. I used to be pals with the lead singer and guitarist Kyle Henderson, through a mutual friend, but they were never a seminal 80’s band for me. The only song of theirs that resonated was “What’s He Got?”. They were a resounding “Meh”.

Next up were Men Without Hats. Now we ALL know the “Safety Dance” song, which was a HUGE hit on MTV, back in the day, with the dancing dwarves and ridiculously catchy, but annoying chorus. Neither of us were expecting much from these guys, but they had incredible energy with their tunes like, “I Love The 80’s” and “Pop Goes The World”. Lead vocalist Ivan Doroschuk  wore a shiny, silver shirt and was bopping all over the stage in a dynamic performance that was a welcome relief after the lackluster set from The Producers. (I was particularly impressed with their high energy set being that I was never a big fan of the single although I used it back in the day to pack any dancefloor that I was working. I have completely reevaluated my opinion of Men Without Hats. I should also note that the guitarist was having a blast although he looks more like a member of SLAYER than a member of a retro 80’s act)

A Flock of Seagulls took the stage and opened with “The More You Live, the More You Love” which was  the first single from their third album, The Story of a Young Heart. (an album for many reasons that is near and dear to my heart and helped me through a rough period in my early 20’s – az) as well as new songs and their biggest hits accompanied by amazing lighting and multi media background visuals. Included were “Space Age Love Song”, “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)” and ended their set with “I Ran”. They are still in fine form, despite not having their signature  winged, shellacked, monstrosity hairdos and it was a treat to see them live again.

Oy Vey! I was hoping my dear Ellen wouldn’t do what every other music journalist or evryday person does when it comes to A Flock of Seagulls and that is mention the fucking hair and their memorable and unusual style and appearance. But, she did, and I’m leeaving it in tis final edit.

Moving along….

For those that write off the band a a one hit wonder should note that the group had a string of international hit singles including “I Ran (So Far Away)” (1982), “Space Age Love Song” (1982), “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)” (1982), and “The More You Live, the More You Love” (1984). Their video for “I Ran (So Far Away)” received airplay on MTV during the Second British Invasion. The band won a Grammy Award in 1983 for their instrumental “D.N.A.” (1982).

As a club DJ I knew their songs would always fill a dance floor at the times when the floor would thin out. They were a fail safe, much like Men Without Hats and Animotion.

Having seen AFOS twice in 2017 (with The Romantics) and again now nearly 10 years later I fnd that their synth pop sound and signature guitar stylings hold up as well today as they did in 1982. I look forward to seeing them again. – az

And the last performer of the night was the wonderful Thomas Dolby, who’s albums I still have from my high school and college days. He and his band the Toy People, which included all of the original members, plus a new trombone and bass player, were rocking ALL of his old hits. He explained that he was actually wearing the SAME suit that he wore to the 1985 Grammys, where he received 3 nominations. He also made a comment about how it used to be so nice to play songs that “didn’t offend everyone” – a clear indictment about how much the world and music industry have changed over the last 40 years. He is still in fine form as well, hitting every note perfectly, looking dashing as ever and using all the synth power available, as though the last 4 decades never even happened. Like A Flock of Seagulls, his background visuals and lighting were fantastically choreographed, as were his moves on stage. He’s STILL got it, folks!

Dolby originally formed The Lost Toy People after relocating from England to Los Angeles in 1986. The band went on to record his third studio album Aliens Ate My Buick, which earned multiple Grammy nominations and featured songs including “Airhead,” “The Ability to Swing,” “The Key to Her Ferrari” and the fan favorite “Pulp Culture.” Their Totally Tubular set will revisit much of that album while also featuring Dolby’s signature hits, including “She Blinded Me With Science,” performed live with the full band

Aliens Ate My Buick was strongly funk and dance influenced. The first single was “Airhead”, a satirical song about a stereotypical young-and-rich California woman, which peaked at # 53. The second single, “Hot Sauce”, a George Clinton song, peaked at #.80. Another single, “My Brain Is Like a Sieve,” peaked at No. 89 on the UK Singles Chart. The album was co-produced by Bill Bottrell, and featured Terry Jackson on bass guitar.

Dolby has assembled a lineup that includes original guitarist Larry Treadwell and singer-percussionist Laura Creamer alongside Roxx on bass, drummer Mat Hector, whose credits include Iggy Pop, Thom Yorke and Grace Jones, and New Orleans trombonist Ethan Santos. 

He told the story of when he made an uncredited musical cameo on Saturday Night Live during the Season 11 finale on May 24, 1986. Rather than being the official musical guest, he crashed the stage with George Clinton & The Parliament Funkadelic followed  the story of their collaboration that formed after a fishing trip along the Florida coast. 

The performance reminded me more of Frank Zappa than any sort of the 1980’s synth pop that I was expecting. So Mr. Dolby thank you for the education. – az

After 6 hours at River’s Edge, seeing 7 bands, a massive shift in the weather (complete with clouds, lightning, light rain and a blissful cold front that pushed the heat and humidity back into oblivion, we called it a night and headed back to my Bronco, with the cool breeze at our backs. Once again, the venue staff was affable and seemed genuinely glad that we had such a fantastic time seeing the show and experiencing the venue (again, something you will NEVER experience in most concert spots in Chicago proper). We hit the highway back to the urban decay, after having one of the best fucking summer Sundays I’ve ever had! 

SETLISTS: Totally Tubular Festival at RiverEdge Park, Aurora, IL

TOMMY TUTONE

Trust My Memory

Angel Say No

Which Man Are You

Cheap Date

867-5309/Jenny

THE ESCAPE CLUB: 

Shake for the Sheik

I’ll Be There

Wild, Wild West

ANIMOTION: 

Let Him Go

I Engineer

Obsession

THE PRODUCERS:

Back To Basics

Certain Kinda Girl

What’s He Got?;

She Sheila

MEN WITHOUT HATS:

I Love the ’80s

Antarctica

Pop Goes the World

The Safety Dance

A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS:

The More You Live, the More You Love

Him

Say You Love Me

Some Dreams

Space Age Love Song

Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)

I Ran

THOMAS DOLBY and THE LOST TOY PEOPLE :

Europa and the Pirate Twins

The Key to Her Ferrari

Hot Sauce

Airhead

Pulp Culture

My Brain Is Like a Sieve

May the Cube Be With You

She Blinded Me With Science

Hyperactive!

A very special thanks to Andrea Faulk at SRO, the wonderful staff at RiverEdge Park and lastly to and Astrid Plane  Bill Wadhams for being fantastic performers and kind humans for the time the gave to the fans.