Sparks tickets

One of pop's best-loved and most influential cult bands, Sparks grew out of the minds of brothers Ron and Russell Mael. The combination of Russell's formidable vocal range, Ron's impressive keyboard skills, and their vividly witty songwriting defined their music as it changed over the years -- which it did often. When they emerged in the early '70s, their theatricality fit in with the glam rock scene, with albums like 1972's A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing and 1974's Kimono My House earning them a strong following in the U.K. Just a year later, Sparks was at the forefront of the power-pop movement with 1975's Indiscreet; by the end of the decade, they were electronic pop pioneers, working with Giorgio Moroder on 1979's No. 1 in Heaven. The synth-pop and new wave leanings of albums like that one and 1983's In Outer Space -- which featured "Cool Places," a duet with the Go-Go's Jane Wiedlin that became one of the band's biggest hits -- evolved into the house and techno underpinnings of 1994's Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins, which felt timely and true to Sparks' inventive history. The Maels only grew more adventurous in the 21st century, reworking classical music in their own image on 2002's Lil' Beethoven, delivering their first musical with 2009's The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman, and penning the screenplay and music for 2021's Annette. When they returned to pop music, they held on to that innovative spirit as they collaborated with Franz Ferdinand on 2015's FFS and commented on the issues of the day on the 2020s A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip. For a band that often felt like a well-kept secret, Sparks appeared on the charts fairly frequently, with "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" (1974), "The Number One Song in Heaven" (1979), and "When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'" (1994) among their most popular songs. However, a better measure of Sparks' success is the wide range of artists they inspired: Pet Shop Boys, Nirvana, Björk, and the Smiths are among the many acts who put their own spin on the Maels' boundlessly creativity.