Sparks concert review: Music vets deliver hit parade of no-frills pop

nypost.com:

Sparks that hasn’t already been expounded upon in great detail in Edgar Wright’s excellent Netflix documentary “The Sparks Brothers.”Yet, you haven’t really experienced Sparks until you’e caught them live.The Mael brothers — Russell is the buoyant 74-year-old frontman and Ron, the 77-year-old, deadpan keyboardist with an acidic sense of humor — rocked New York City’s Beacon Theatre with their no-frills, no-fat power pop for approximately 90 minutes on Tuesday, June 27.Their show, comprised of catchy hits “The Number One Song In Heaven” and “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us,” as well as goofy crowd pleasers like “Balls” and “Beaver O’Lindy” and select tracks from their 2023 album “The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte” was exquisitely arranged; no moment felt extraneous.Of course, the six-piece band “started” with their hook-y piano confection “So May We Start” which set the tone; this would be a cheeky, self-referential evening.They maintained that ironic yet inspired high-wire act for the remainder of the gig (the song “Nothing Is as Good as They Say It Is” told from the perspective of a 22-hour-old baby that’s “seen it all” is an ace example), certainly an impressive feat for a group that’s been performing in some capacity since 1968.Plus, Ron’s stoic, mustachioed face behind the keys, only breaking when absolutely necessary, is one of music’s greatest running gags.More than anything though, Russell’s soaring Freddie Mercury-like pipes — why isn’t he fronting Queen instead of Adam Lambert for the group’s 2023 ‘Rhapsody Tour?’ — was reminiscent of the glam rock of the ’70s.At 74, he hasn’t lost a step and sounds just as powerful, unhinged and controlled as he does on Sparks’ 26 (!) studio records.That being said,.