Max Headroom delivers pop rock hits of the 80s at Rock the Mall

Max Headroom performs in front of a lively crowd as part of Sierra Vista Mall’s Rock the Mall concert series on June 29, 2017. (Photo by Ron Sundquist/Clovis Roundup)

Fresno-based ‘80s tribute band Max Headroom performed at Rock the Mall at Sierra Vista Mall on June 29.

Rock the Mall is a free outdoor summer concert series open to people of all ages.

“It’s a great family event,” said David Locher, keyboard and backup vocals for Max Headroom. “You’ve got kids. You’ve got cousins. You’ve got everything.”

Locher said Max Headroom was formed because he and his fellow band members felt a local ‘80s tribute band was needed in the area.

“It’s a niche that’s not being filled in this town,” Locher said. “You need to have ‘80s music.”

The five-man group specializes in covering “one-hit wonders” and pop rock hits from artists like Michael Jackson, Prince, Billy Idol and Bon Jovi.

“It was written well. It was performed well,” Locher said of what makes him a big fan of ‘80s music. “There weren’t a lot of special effects.”

Caitlin Tenyenhuis said she was interested in attending the concert when she found out an ‘80s tribute band was performing.

“I knew I really had to be here,” Tenyenhuis said. “The lead singer’s voice was really good and their energy was so high the whole time.”

Gabe Freitas was another ‘80s music fan in attendance.

“You can dance to it, that’s all I really care about,” Freitas said.

Gail Seymour said Max Headroom’s performance was “very nostalgic” and “brings back good memories.”

Salem Fury, friend of Burke Lizama, the lead singer of Max Headroom, feels that music from the 1980s differs in many ways from modern music.

“They [Max Headroom] bring back that old school vibe that a lot of people grew up with,” Fury said. “Our valley is plagued by this hip hop culture. Inappropriate body parts and money – that’s all anybody wants to sing about,” Fury said. “[The ‘80s] had culture. It had flavor. It had meaning. It wasn’t mindless flaunting of assets.”

Fury added that Max Headroom revives the culture of the 1980s through their passion and appreciation for the music.

“They remind people we used to have culture and meaning behind our lyrics. There was a reason why we wrote this stuff,” Fury said. “They’re dedicated people. They spend day and night rehearsing and rehearsing to provide the show that you see here.”

Upcoming Rock the Mall concerts include shows from Fresno’s Exit 13 on July 13 and Faithfully, a Journey tribute band, on July 27.

Bineet Kaur:
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