3 Reasons You Should See Men Without Hats Live

If you were alive in the ‘80s chances are you danced your way through “The Safety Dance,” not entirely sure what the safety dance was, but having a blast to the decade-defining Men Without Hats hit.

Some are still dancing to it to this day.

The band’s currently lineup is a bit different now, consisting of founder and frontman Ivan Doroschuk (photo: front), and three members who have stepped in over the years, and become mainstays (photo: back, L to R) – Adrian White (drums), Sahara Sloan (keyboards and vocals), and Sho Murray (guitar). With this lineup, Men Without Hats have become road warriors, embarking on not one, not two, but three tours in 2024.

One of those tours is the Totally Tubular festival, which features eight bands, and is currently wrapping up a hot summer trek across the U.S.

When the Totally Tubular festival hit the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, CT, I was in the crowd, and Men Without Hats were one of the highlights of the night, with a set that was practically nonstop joy.

Here are three reasons why you should let your nostalgia for the ‘80s inspire you to see Men Without Hats live.

Ivan Doroschuk still brings it 

There’s a saying that goes, “You’re only as old as you feel,” and in the case of frontman Ivan Doroschuk, his age may say he’s 66, but his performance is that of a man half his age.

Appearing in black leather pants, and a matching black leather jacket – the latter he eventually shed – Doroschuk worked up a sweat tackling every inch of the large stage, dancing his way back and forth, and having a blast on the 90 degree evening.

His vocals are still remarkably on point. In fact, I’d go as far as to say he sounds just as good as ever, and his enthusiasm for the music, for performing, and for life in general is incredibly infectious. He’s having a good time, and he wants everyone else to be having a good time, as well.

An energy drink in human form, about the only thing that indicates Doroschuk’s age is his hair color, but I don’t imagine him picking up any Just For Men anytime soon. His flaunting of his grey locks, and beard are almost like a taunt to Father Time – You can paint me in the colors of old age, but look what I’m doing out here, I’m not slowing down!

Is “The Safety Dance” the secret to eternal youth? You might think so after seeing Doroschuk perform live.

They really know how to put together a set

A lot of bands will make you wait to hear their biggest hit, but not Men Without Hats. They kicked things off with “The Safety Dance,” and that decision led to a huge payoff – it got the crowd on their feet from the very first note, and everyone stayed standing, and dancing, for the entire set.

On a tour as large as the Totally Tubular festival, everyone has a slightly annotated set list, but Men Without Hats pack theirs with exactly what the fans want – the songs they love.

In addition to “The Safety Dance,” their seven song set included two other songs from their 1982 debut album, Rhythm of Youth – “Antarctica,” and one of my personal faves, “I Got the Message.”

Their 1987 hit “Pop Goes the World” was their penultimate song of the night.

With all their hits having been performed, what, you may ask, could they have possibly had as their finale?

In a moment of pure fun, Doroschuk took a moment to introduce their final song of the night by cheekily saying, “This one’s dedicated to everyone who arrived late,” and the band then launched into “The Safety Dance” for a second time, this time performing the extended mix.

We all danced again, because we all wanted to.

A younger player is providing a new energy 

Getting back to Doroschuk's youthful moves, and enthusiasm, I have to imagine at least a touch of it comes from the addition of Saraha Sloan to the band, who joined in 2023. She isn’t just their current keyboard player and backing vocalist, she’s also his niece! He even tells a story about carrying her around as a baby.

The excitement Doroschuk clearly has performing with Sloan, as well as veteran rockers Sho Murray, and Adrian White, make the band feel remarkably fresh.

It’s a good thing they have all that energy, too, because while they’re currently wrapping up the Totally Tubular festival tour, which is their second tour of the year, they’ll be back on the road in November for their third tour of 2024, which will see them have a run of dates across their native Canada.

The dance never stops, and Men Without Hats wouldn’t have it any other way.

For more Men Without Hats, and to see when she’ll be coming to your area, check out safetydance.com.