But as I watched the performance, I kept mentally returning to that exciting night in 1972 when I stood in purple hot pants with hundreds of other like-dressed preteens screaming and crying with joy. Comparing that memory with the DVD performance was a bit jarring because something is missing from the modern-day performance. That something is Donny.
As 95% of pre-teens who joined me back in the day would tell you, Donny was the main draw of the group. His smile, his golden looks, and his compelling singing style is what kept girls hooked. Most teens were too cool for the Osmonds, so the older brothers held no appeal to most concert goers. Watching the Osmonds without Donny is akin to the Rolling Stones without Mick Jagger or The Who without Pete Townsend. It just isn’t the same. It’s like watching impersonators – albeit those who are genetically related to Donny – sing “his” songs.
The Osmonds came of age when pre-teens were struggling to understand the turmoil of Vietnam and political chaos. What made them popular was that they didn’t wade into those dramas. They were from a large, loving Mormon family out of Salt Lake City. They were perhaps one of the only groups that sang convincingly of innocent love. They made us believe the stories our parents told us about wholesome life and dreams. The Osmonds were the embodiment of innocence and fun. While the Jackson 5 and even the studio-made Monkees appeared somewhat innocent and appealed to pre-teens, there was always a hint of sexuality about them. Not so with the Osmonds; they were squeaky clean through and through.
Perhaps that explains why the Osmonds can still draw crowds, such as this one in London and others in Branson, Missouri, where they regularly perform. Times have changed. It was a certain touch of irony that a postcard for High Times magazine fluttered to the floor when I opened the package containing the Osmond DVD. Yet, putting the DVD into the player, I could still feel the time machine transport me back to a time when hope and innocence reigned supreme.
Article comments
1 - wendi jackson
wow. this review said it all to me just then....it was truly wonderful to read , it makes me want to go out and buy the dvd straight away, im very tempted.
2 - Merce
Just wanted to thank you for your wonderful review on the Osmonds Live DVD. I was right there with you on missing Donny in the line-up. I was at the concert when it was recorded in Hammersmith Apollo last year, having travelled from my home in Spain. It was so worth the trip to see all the Brothers up there, very emotional when Alan joined them on stage. But, we did miss Donny being there so much. We (his faithfull lifelong fans) are still hoping and praying they will do a concert all together like the one planned for Las Vegas in August. Unfortunatley, that's way too far for me to travel (not enough money right now!).
Thanks again for your wonderful review, it's so nice to read a pleasant and honest review these days. I feel the Osmonds always suffered, and still suffer the wrath of the media far too often. A lot of people seem to enjoy just poking fun at them without even listening to them or even realising just how popular they were, and indeed still are with those who loved them. To still be as popular now as they were then (and concert attendances these days will prove that to anyone bothered to attend), there has got to be something about them. If only others in the media would realise that! I wish there were more around like you :)
Thanks once again,
Mercedes
(life-long Osmond fan (but especially Donny!))