Boys to Men
The Golden Boys
CRUISE CONTROL -- Get ready to rock as Bobby Rydell, left, Frankie Avalon and Fabian take music lovers on a trip down down memory lane at the Desert Inn
Onstage in the showroom, Fabian, heartthrob of thousands of teen-age girls in the 1950s, is poking fun at himself as he was some 40 years earlier. One of his hits, "I'm a Man," was recorded when he was just 15 years old.
It's a typical performance for Fabian, who, along with Frankie Avalon and Bobby Rydell, are the Golden Boys--a trio of classic performers inviting audiences on a journey into a history they and most members of their audience share. The Golden Boys appear at the Desert Inn, Oct. 22-24.
A Golden Boys show is indeed a voyage into the past, complete with vintage film clips of each performer in his respective heyday.
The house lights go down and the film rolls; the screen is filled with screaming, hysterical girls. "They kissed me and pulled my hair out," boomed a basso voice. "My name is Fabian." As the film advanced, Fabian was seen fleeing a horde of impassioned fans. The soundtrack continued: "There were times when I actually thought I was going to be killed."
As the clips roll to an end, the three Golden Boys take the stage, launching the show with the theme to "American Bandstand."
That's just the beginning to a packed evening that begins with some ribbing and kidding among the three, with Fabian being on the receiving end of most of the jokes. It's a role he doesn't seem to mind all that much.
"I'm kind of a self-deprecating kind of guy," he told ShowBiz. "I like to have fun--at my own expense a lot."
In short order, the joking gives way to performances by each entertainer, as they individually showcase their respective hits. The show ends on a high note with a spirited closer that brings all three together onstage again as they salute four rock 'n' roll legends.
Formed in 1985 by veteran producer Dick Fox, the Golden Boys are an unlikely collection of South Philadelphia lads. Although the trio grew up within three blocks of one another, and all were popularizing their own brand of rock 'n' roll during the same period, prior to the group, none had ever before performed together.
Though they didn't really know one another, there were overlapping areas of their lives. Rydell and Fabian lived only half a block from one another. "I never ventured into his area," joked Fabian.
Rydell also had a musical brush with Avalon in a neighborhood band called Rocco and the Saints. Although it's been widely reported that Avalon and Rydell were members of the fledgling band, Rydell set the record straight for ShowBiz.
"That's a misconception," said Rydell. As history has it, Avalon was a member of the band. When the group's regular drummer fell ill, Rydell, a drummer himself, filled in for the ailing percussionist.
"I was never a member of the group," said Rydell. "I just kind of sat in."
That, like an entire Golden Boys evening, is one footnote to a rich musical history. Get the full story at the Desert Inn.
A Golden Evening of Entertainment
Oct. 22-24 The Desert Inn- Las Vegas