Pop Break Live: The Hooters 45 ALIVE 45th Anniversary Tour at The Met Philadelphia with special guest Willie Nile on Saturday May 17, 2025.
The Hooters, a beloved band in this tri-State area, kicked off their 45 ALIVE 45th Anniversary Tour at the Met in Philadelphia on 5/17.
Formed in 1980, the band is celebrating their 45th anniversary performing as well as commemorating their unforgettable performance at Live Aid in 1985. The band quickly became the darlings of the Philly music scene with their blend of pop rock, reggae and ska. Powerhouse local radio stations WMMR and WYSP were really supportive of the band early on so it was no surprise that their second album, Nervous Night, sold over 2 million copies. Their popularity rose and it wasn’t too shabby either to have Rolling Stone name them Best New Band of the Year.
The show opened with singer-songwriter Willie Nile — a good friend of the band. Nile’s career has spanned decades with deep roots in the NY folk/punk scene. It’s been said his energetic live shows were legendary and embodied the true spirit of rock ‘n’ roll (it holds true to this day). He has received accolades from everyone from Springsteen to Pete Townsend.
Nile performed a short crowd pleasing set and was accompanied by bassist Johnny Pisano. His banter with the crowd was endearing and funny at times. He told the audience his father was 107 years old and talked about his incredible longevity. The secret he said was that his dad had happy hour everyday. The audience laughed. He then broke into a sing-along song called “An Irish Goodbye,” — a song about mortality. The audience happily obliged. He got a really loud response from the crowd when the set ended.
The Hooters opened up with “I’m Alive,” a catchy upbeat song off their Time Stand Still album. They played seven songs off their incredibly popular double platinum album Nervous Night, released in 1985. It included” Hanging on A Heart Beat” and “Where do the Children Go.” When singing the song “Day by Day,” there was a collective roar from the audience when the band sang the lyrics “show me some appreciation” and that they did! The band was backed by a fantastic horn section. The vocals throughout the set were right on point. When the very recognizable opening chords to “All You Zombies” started playing there were loud cheers.
There were so many highlights throughout the set. The band played a few covers which included the Beatles “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and Hey West’s “500 Mile.” The crowd sang along to both. The fans really reacted to the inspirational melodic song “Satellite.” It’s just one of those songs you need to dance to! They ended their set with the song that put them on the map, “And We Danced.”
They played a four song encore. The audience was treated to their newest single “Pendulum” which debuted recently. It’s an uplifting song about these turbulent times. They also played two other songs the band had a hand in making. They did a cover of Cyndi Lauper‘s giant hit “Time After Time,” which Rob Hyman co-wrote with Lauper, and also played the Joan Osborne hit “One of Us,” which Eric Bazilian wrote. They ended the night with fan favorite “Beat up Guitar” which is an ode to the city of Philadelphia.
The Hooters really put on an impressive performance. It was fun and uplifting. The majority of the people in the orchestra seats did not sit at all. They were up dancing the minute the guys walked out on stage. This really vocal crowd really showed this hometown band a lot of love. What a memorable night for the band and their fans.
