05/30 @ The Strand Theater, Hudson Falls

“By the end of the evening the tribute act from Toronto had formed a genuine bond with the audience all their own, far beyond just their affinity for the men they were impersonating on the stage.”

The role of the touring tribute band in local music can be something of a hot-button topic. However, there can be no denying that it takes a certain level of talent and commitment to do the tribute act to its full potential and make the crowd buy in. Not a single note of the material can be out of place lest the antenna-eared audience have the opportunity to notice that they’re not actually watching the real McCoy.

It goes even further than simply emulating the sound of the band you’re paying homage to, though. You’ve got to nail all the idiosyncrasies, the subtle mannerisms, and the big moments the performers are known for at their shows. In a sense, it actually adds an entire new dimension to the performance of live music: in addition to being an expert cover band, you must also be a group of expert character actors.

Taking the stage at the historic Strand Theatre in Hudson Falls last weekend, Acrobat brought all of that and more with their live tribute to legendary Irish rock quartet U2. Veterans of the tribute band circuit with 15 years under their belt, the band made the trip from Toronto for a stop in the 518 after performing at Turning Stone in Verona the night before, and promptly launched into perhaps the first ever hit in U2’s catalog, “I Will Follow.” The show incorporated multimedia elements via a projector screen above the stage, and avid U2 fans would immediately notice some of the band’s signatures such as The Edge’s signature Gibson Explorer. Frontman Gabrielvox has Bono’s look and stage habits down to a tee, not to mention his stage name is definitely a reference that eagle-eyed fans of the band will spot, taking inspiration from Bono’s full nickname, Bono Vox, which loosely translates to “good voice.”

The band set the tone right away for an evening traversing the hall of fame band’s greatest hits, following “I Will Follow” with “Beautiful Day” and “Vertigo” which were the lead singles from U2’s most recent mainstream hit records, 2000’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind and 2004’s How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. “Beautiful Day” included a signature Bono moment as Gabrielvox forayed into the crowd, delivering some call and response vocals as he climbed over rows of seating and explored the depths of the theater crowd. They played more than just the band’s typical “best of” selection, bringing the b-sides and rarities only true fans would sing along with to the stage, like when they demonstrated the prowess of their laser light show during “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses?”, a lesser known staple of U2’s recent residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. They followed that up with the New Orleans swing-tinged romper “Angel of Harlem” that got the audience stomping, clapping, swaying and singing along on the outro vocals. This feel-good moment powerfully transitioned to the emotionally poignant protest song “New Year’s Day” off of 1983’s War, their pacifist manifesto against the Troubles in Ireland. During the performance, the actual music video for the single release was shown on the big screen.

Next up, Gabrielvox quipped, “We’re gonna go to church on a Saturday night if that’s okay” as the band behind him began the gospel-inspired “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” with the crowd clapping and singing the refrain in unison while Acrobat began the transition into “City of Blinding Lights.” Next up was the funky, overdriven guitar of “Mysterious Ways” which brought the dance floor to life as the charismatic frontman implored the crowd to get up and get moving, causing the area in front of the stage to transform into a raucous dance club. This begot another signature Bono moment from Gabrielvox, as he pulled one of the dancers up on stage to waltz around with him during the song’s instrumental section. They closed the set with “One,” perhaps the biggest hit from 1991’s Achtung Baby, complete with a message of unity that felt like it was being delivered by the notoriously politically-outspoken U2 frontman himself.

Emerging from a brief intermission, Gabrielvox welcomed us back to the show: “Welcome to set two,” he said. “A set we like to call, more rock, less talk.” The Fly started things off strong with another Achtung Baby favorite before taking a leap back to the early ‘80s with “Gloria,” one of the first songs to be showcased on MTV and the lead single from U2’s sophomore album October. Following that up was a truly special moment for the band as they revealed one of their crowning achievements as a tribute act: they were invited to perform the next song in the set, “Desire,” in front of U2 themselves when the legendary band made their way to the Scotiabank Center in Toronto in 2015. Footage played on the screen of the doppelgangers taking the stage alongside their subjects, a truly uncanny and entertaining thing to see. After that, they launched into “Bullet the Blue Sky” which is the most high-octane track on 1987’s The Joshua Tree by far, and the closest U2 comes to hard rock. The juxtaposition of that with the following track, “Running to Standstill” from the very same album, showcases the range that U2 has that is often unmentioned when their legacy is discussed.

After that, they ratcheted the energy back up a bit for another throwback to War with a spirited performance of the famous anti-war anthem “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” Anyone familiar with U2’s performance as part of the iconic Live Aid concerts would recognize “Bad” which followed, a nice palate-cleansing, soft-rock anthem that featured another tour of the crowd from Gabrielvox where he ventured up into the theatre’s balcony section to sing and dance right in front of the cell phone cameras of enthralled spectators. Finishing off the main sets with a pair of all-time great soft rock songs in “Where the Streets Have No Name” and the MLK-inspired anthem “Pride (In the Name of Love),” you’d be hard pressed to find a more iconic duo from any band’s catalog. A clip of the iconic Dr. King played to introduce the latter track — a heartfelt and inspiring moment that reminded us of all of the battles against oppression we face to this day.

“We can go away for a moment, and come back out to play a few more songs… or we could just play a few more songs,” Gabrielvox cheekily said to a roar from the crowd. Instead of playing the well-known game of adult peek-a-boo we often see at shows, they got right down to their bonus portion with the well-known four-chord love song, “With or Without You.” They then let the audience know there was a birthday boy in attendance, who had sent them a message on social media which said, “You’re named Acrobat, yet you rarely play that song in your sets…” before launching into the iconic Achtung Baby deep cut as an impromptu birthday gift. To end the evening (for real this time), they delivered a performance of “Walk On” that felt like the perfect way to send the audience off with the refrain, “Stay safe tonight.”

At the historic Strand Theatre in Hudson Falls last Saturday night, Acrobat delivered the spirit of U2 to an audience who was chomping at the bit for an authentic performance. They got that in spades, and by the end of the evening the tribute act from Toronto had formed a genuine bond with the audience all their own, far beyond just their affinity for the men they were impersonating on the stage. It was a triumphant and emphatic reminder that, even when you’re acting like someone else, it’s possible to deliver a truly authentic and genuine performance.