The Year of Concerts (#37): Tiffany
Children behave
I hit my teenage years as I entered high school in the fall of 1987.
I had a locker to decorate right as I started noticing girls. What 13-year-old boy in 1987 didn’t notice Tiffany?
She was only three years older than we were. She was like any girl we knew in our limited worlds – jean jacket and all. Tiffany was any girl, USA.
Her pictures adorned my locker, right next to the defining band of my youth, Def Leppard. She was a schoolboy crush, but I also liked her music.
The first time I heard “I Think We’re Alone Now” had such an effect on me, I remember it vividly. It was late one summer night after its release on Aug. 16, 1987. I had a 1980s Panasonic boom box that I listened to every night as I fell asleep. I can remember the heat of summer and hearing that song in the dark, with just the glow of the radio dial illuminating my room.
I couldn’t get that song out of my head. Neither could a lot of other teenagers.
Tiffany was the youngest female artist to have a debut album reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. “I Think We’re Alone Now” and follow-up single, the hauntingly beautiful “Could’ve Been,” both went to number one.
She became a teen idol for the 1980s kid with clever marketing – a mall tour to connect with her target audience.
An Orange Julius. Clothes shopping at Merry-Go-Round. Giggling at a few items in Spencer’s. And a concert by a peer you felt like you could see in school the next day.
It was genius.
But here’s the thing: Tiffany was an impressively talented singer – hence a record deal at such a young age. I argued then – and still argue – that she was a much stronger singer than peer Debbie Gibson. Gibson had that stupid hat with sugary sweet bubble gum pop. Tiffany had a “cool girl” image with a little edge and a voice to match.
It was no contest.
And while Tiffany would never see the same level of popularity again as in the late 1980s, she continued recording and found her niche, cultivating a very loyal fan base over the years. But along with acting in reality TV and sci-fi/horror movies, she tried new things musically, like releasing an 80’s cover album, a dance album, a country-influenced album, and different versions of her signature song.
Posing in “Playboy” may have helped at one point, too.
All this is to set up the fact that I finally saw Tiffany in concert – not once, but twice on the same weekend. The first show was an electric pop/rock show; the second was an acoustic set as part of a fundraiser for Children’s Miracle Network kids.
Tiffany impressed at both shows, which featured different sets.
Let me tell you, Tiffany can still sing the hell out of anything. Her voice remains as unique and powerful as ever. At one point in the first show, the backing tracks stopped working – she tours leanly with guitarist Mark Alberici and apparently a keyboardist who was sick, so she is accompanied digitally.
Not missing a beat, Tiffany walked out into the audience and warmly interacted with the crowd while Alberici worked to fix things. She then sang acapella on “All This Time” from her second album, “Hold an Old Friend’s Hand.” Tiffany was pitch-perfect with an incredible delivery.
It was awesome.
Now over 50, Tiffany has smartly embraced her status as a nostalgic figure from the 1980s pop era, but not at the expense of continued growth as an artist. For both shows, Tiffany leaned heavily into her new material, which, in my opinion, continues to increase in lyrical depth and maturity with a rock edge. I love that she has chosen a path that balances the need to satisfy the audience’s expectations with unabashed pride in new material.
The first show evenly split new material with classic tracks. She sang two tracks from her latest album, “Shadows,” two from her last album, “Pieces of Me,” and her latest single, “Angels,” a cover song she sang on the UK version of “The Masked Singer.” Classic tracks included her two biggest hits, her very first single, “Danny,” and “Feelings of Forever” from her debut, and “All This Time.”
The acoustic show kicked off with four tracks from “Pieces of Me”: “Beautiful,” the title track, “Starting Over” and “Wasted Time.” The 2017 album is one of my favorites of the last decade, and that it’s relatively unknown is criminal. The album's production is near perfect, with introspective lyrics and emotional vocal delivery.
Live was no different. The vulnerable delivery of “Starting Over” hit emotionally as Tiffany sang:
I wish that I would just be free
From the loneliness in me
I wish I would turn and run
And I'd come all undone
And I know that there's a place
Somewhere I belong
And I know that holdin' on
Just hurts and makes you numb
The tears fade from my eyes
But I still see your smile
Left standin' in the shame
Starting over every day
Tiffany could easily lean on a setlist that favors her greatest hits album like so many “classic” acts do these days. I respect that she refuses to be pigeonholed – and, more importantly, has quality new material to back up her decision.
Along with “You’re My Everything” from “Shadows,” Tiffany completed the acoustic set with her two biggest singles. She also added “I Saw Him Standing There” from her debut, which was welcome after not hearing it in the first show – it was always a favorite of mine back in the day.
Despite being a simple acoustic show, Tiffany’s voice and delivery made the show feel much more extensive.
Both shows ended with “I Think We’re Alone Now,” which the audience clearly reacted to most. To her credit, Tiffany did not seem like she was simply going through the motions while performing it. Without it, she may not still be performing across the world like she still can. And yes, in the first show, she broke into the dance from the music video – and the crowd ate it up.
She sang with respect – for the song itself and the fans who love it.
One thing I noticed was Tiffany’s appreciation for those fans. She ventured out into the crowd at both shows while singing and took moments to hug and take pictures with fans while performing.
Tiffany has had her personal struggles over the years. Nobody’s perfect, and I don’t pretend that I know what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes. Here’s what I do know: Seeing Tiffany’s interactions with the children at the fundraiser illustrated what a big-hearted person she apparently is.
She’s been working with Given’s Coffee, a local charity, to help raise money at all of her shows for children with medical concerns (check them out at givenscoffee.org). The children beneficiaries presented Tiffany and Alberici (who is apparently Tiffany’s fiancé) with hero capes, which they proudly wore during her set. You could tell Tiffany felt close to the children and the organization as a whole – and made the evening feel like a laid-back family affair.
She actually wore a sweatshirt and “MC Hammer” pants during the show because while she was supposed to be changing for her performance, she was instead watching the program where the children’s stories were shared because, as she said, she didn’t want to miss it.
Outside her talent, Tiffany comes across as down-to-earth and comfortable with who she is and where she is in her career. She comes across as what you see is what you get, no apologies. In a nutshell, she comes across as “normal,” “authentic” – rare for many celebrities – but really, isn’t that what made us love her in the first place all those years ago?
Show 1 Setlist:
Hey Baby (from Shadows)
Wasted Time (from Pieces of Me)
All This Time (acapella) (from Hold an Old Friend’s Hand)
Shadows (from Shadows)
Beautiful (from Pieces of Me)
All This Time (from Hold an Old Friend’s Hand)
Danny (from Tiffany)
Feelings of Forever (from Tiffany)
Could’ve Been (from Tiffany)
Angels (from The Masked Singer UK)
I Think We’re Alone Now (from Tiffany)
Show 2 Setlist (Acoustic):
Beautiful (from Pieces of Me)
Pieces of Me (from Pieces of Me)
Starting Over (from Pieces of Me)
Wasted Time (from Pieces of Me)
You’re My Everything (from Shadows)
Could’ve Been (from Tiffany)
I Saw Him Standing There (from Tiffany)
I Think We’re Alone Now (from Tiffany)
Follow the Year of Concerts through our playlist:
After the COVID madness stopped live music for about two years, I decided I wouldn’t pass up a live concert I wanted to see again. That means I have more than 30 concerts planned for this year - with more to come. I will chronicle my year of live music.