SPILL LIVE REVIEW: MEN WITHOUT HATS w/ SOULS IN RHYTHM @ BELLA CONCERT HALL, CALGARY (AB)

MEN WITHOUT HATS w/ SOULS IN RHYTHM

@ BELLA CONCERT HALL, CALGARY (AB)

JANUARY 20, 2026

Men Without Hats did not disappoint at their January 20th show in Calgary at Bella Concert Hall. Frontman Ivan Doroschuk, guitarist Sho Murray, keyboardist Sahara Sloan, and drummer Adrian White all brought their A-game.

Souls In Rhythm opened the night up with some deliciously funky jams and electrifying guitar solos. Although their original tune, “Electric Lover” was a banger, it was their mashup of Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me” and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” that really stood out. Surprisingly, these two polar opposite songs go together perfectly, resulting in a groovy, rocking good time.

Throughout the whole night, Men Without Hats delivered exceptional performance after exceptional performance. They performed their most iconic hit, “The Safety Dance,” not once, not twice, but three times. It was the opening, closing, and the encore, each played slightly differently. The encore version was the coolest, as Men Without Hats turned it into a kind of 80s hair metal-ish ballad. Each time the band performed the song, the crowd was incredibly excited, dancing, and singing along. Equally as entertaining was the band’s other big hit, “Pop Goes The World.” You could feel the room light up with glee as soon as the band started playing these infectiously happy earworms.

Other highlights include “Where Do The Boys Go?,” “Moonbeam,” and “I Got The Message.” “Where Do The Boys Go?” sounded exactly like it does on the Folk Of The 80’s (Part III) record. “Moonbeam” was a dazzling spectacle from start to finish, with the hypnotic synth melody sounding tremendous live. Lastly, White’s kinetic drumming and the vocal interplay between Doroschuk and Sloan in “I Got The Message” were top-notch.

ON THE MOON ALBUM REVIEW

Last year, Men Without Hats released the album On The Moon, and they performed “I Love The ‘80s” and “In Glorious Days” from that album. “I Love The ‘80s” was one of the highlights of their sets; it sounded phenomenal live, and the melody is just irresistibly catchy, which will result in audience members humming along to it weeks after the concert. Sloan brought out the keytar for the song, which was an absolute delight to see. The crowd chanted back the chorus to the band as if it were already a timeless tune like “Pop Goes The World” or “The Safety Dance.”

Men Without Hats also did a few cover songs, including their rendition of The Tragically Hip’s (who Doroschuk called “the greatest Canadian rock band of all time”) “Blow At High Dough,” which connected with tons of audience members, many of whom seemed to absolutely adore it. It was quite fascinating to hear a synth-pop version of such a classic Canadian song. Murray’s guitar playing was excellent, and Doroschuk’s vocals were unreal on this song.

Doroschuk sure knows how to have fun while he is up on stage. Watching him constantly move around, do silly little dances, and be full of energy was very captivating and joyful to see as an audience member.

Overall, Men Without Hats did not phone in their performance; they gave it their all, resulting in a wonderful night of ‘80s music.

SPILL FEATURE: THIS GENERATION STILL NEEDS TO HEAR THE FACT THAT THEY CAN DANCE IF THEY WANT TO – A CONVERSATION WITH IVAN DOROSCHUK OF MEN WITHOUT HATS

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