Barry Gibb pays tribute to late brothers with 'Mythology' tour
Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees performs solo in concert during his Mythology tour at the Wells Fargo Center on Monday, May 19, 2014 in Philadelphia. Credit: AP / Owen Sweeney
Barry Gibb's "Mythology" tour was never supposed to happen.
The lone surviving member of the Bee Gees was considering retirement after the death of his brother Robin in 2012, which followed the deaths of their brother Maurice in 2003 and Andy in 1988.
However, the 67-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer -- responsible for many of the 20th century's biggest hits, including the soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever" that set dance floors around the world ablaze -- felt that he should pay tribute to his brothers and to others he has worked with, including Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton and Frankie Valli.
"In so many of my dreams now, I see my brothers," Gibb told The Philadelphia Inquirer recently. "I see Robin a lot, presently. I see his expressions. Maurice and Andy, too, but less than Robin. He and I, we were as close as we could be within those circumstances."
To infuse the spirits of his brothers into the "Mythology" tour, which makes one of only six American stops tonight at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on Friday, Gibb's son Stephen plays guitar in the backing band, while his niece Samantha, Maurice's daughter, is a featured singer in the band.
Gibb says working on the tour has energized him creatively, writing songs all the time. "You have to keep moving forward," he told USA Today. "As long as I'm on the bike, I'm going to keep pedaling."
WHO Barry Gibb
WHEN | WHERE Friday night at 7:30, Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, 1000 Ocean Pkwy., Wantagh
INFO $39.50-$235; 866-558-8468, livenation.com
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WHAT CRITICS SAY
* "This was not a 1970s dance party of camp and excess. It was a stunning celebration of 50 years of astute song writing and three brothers who once ruled the charts."
-- Christopher Muther, Boston Globe
* "This was not a night of sadness. It was a celebration of a family that produced some of pop music's greatest enduring hits, a journey that started in Australia, then Britain and America, winding all the way to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."
-- Bill Brotherton, Boston Herald
* "It's almost uncomfortably raw, and on occasions Gibb seems to wipe away a tear."
-- Dave Simpson, The Guardian
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SETLIST
Barry Gibb switches out a handful of songs during his "Mythology" tour, but the bulk of the set is consistent. Here's what he played Monday at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia:
* "Jive Talkin' "
* "You Should Be Dancing"
* "Lonely Days"
* "Our Love (Don't Throw It All Away)"
* "To Love Somebody"
* "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"
* "Stayin' Alive"
* "How Deep Is Your Love"
* "On Time"
* "I've Gotta Get a Message to You"
* "In the Morning"
* "New York Mining Disaster 1941"
* "Run to Me"
* "I'm on Fire"
* "Spirits (Having Flown)"
* "You Win Again"
* "With the Sun in My Eyes"
* "I Started a Joke"
* "Spicks and Specks"
* "Chain Reaction"
* "One"
* "Islands in the Stream"
* "Guilty"
* "Woman in Love"
* "Nights on Broadway"
* "Night Fever/More Than a Woman"
* "Grease"
* "Immortality"
ENCORE
* "Words"
* "Tragedy"
* "Massachusetts"
