When Debbie Gibson and Tiffany appeared earlier this year in the television film Mega Python vs. Gatoroid it begged the question as to why not a single person thought to put these two together before this film? Its success led to an impromptu jam of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" at a promotional event supporting the film which had heads spinning and ultimately the Journey Through The 80's tour was birthed. Considering package tours have been all the rage for several years it's once again shocking no one ever put two and two together to make this happen before. That being said, as I watched both Tiffany and Debbie Gibson's individuals sets recently at the House of Blues in Chicago, it became evident that despite all the comparisons over the years, these are two extremely distinctive, diverse and deeply talented women whom most of the world never took seriously during their initial ascent to stardom and when the curtain closed, there wasn't a single non believer in the audience.

The 150-minute show began with both singers on stage together performing "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" and quickly followed with the Tony Basil hit "Mickey". The two former teen stars played off one another taking turns on the verses as the sold-out crowd of 1,400 started on in all their nostalgic glory. However, while the show was clearly rooted in the past with several huge hits from both performers and a series of covers from the 1980's, both acts showcased recent offerings and despite what anyone may think, none were calls to the bar or bathrooms. After Gibson left the stage, Tiffany was left with her fantastic six piece band (all of whom were wearing vintage rock t-shirts ranging from U2 to the Rolling Stones to Metallica) and performed a thirteen song set that left many in the audience speechless. Back in the 1980's if you had to give a tip-of-the-hat to one of the two, Gibson would receive the praise for her ability to write and produce whereas Tiffany appeared to be a record company concoction with well produced covers. On the House of Blues stage she kicked and stomped those theories into dust. She was confident, courageous and showed off a voice that never received its due credit. She didn't just flex her pipes but expressed emotion and pulled the crowd closer to her with the heartfelt performance.

Her set consisted of covers, classics and a surprising amount of new songs which glowed amongst the audience. The cover versions were more than glorified karaoke renditions. The crowd, consisting of adults who grew up in the 1980's, ate up each and every song. Joan Jett's "I Love Rock N' Roll", John Mellencamp's "Crumblin' Down", Steve Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen" and the Guns N' Roses classic, "Sweet Child O' Mine". Each song was delivered in a full out belting manner with Tiffany never selling the crowd short. Watching the absorption of her facial movements as she sung each and every word, it was almost as if she was pulling it from her own heart rather than someone else's. When is came time to perform her own hits, she preferred stripped back arrangements which focused more on the soul of the song rather than recreations from the radio hits we know well. "All This Time" found Tiffany on the edge of the stage performing the song in an acoustic arrangement which segued into "Could've Been", her second number one single from 1987. For a song that was big on emotion and heavily produced, it was refreshing and surprising) to see her choose to perform these songs in an almost laid back manner. In fact, all of the songs from her 1987 self-titled debut felt fresher in their more unrefined arrangements. "Feelings Are Forever", "I Saw Him Standing There" (which featured a banjo performed by a member wearing a Metallica Master of Puppets shirt) and the song that began her ascent, "I Think We're Alone Now" were all delivered in jubilant yet gutsy guitar arrangements that were anything but dated. There were no keyboards or synthesizers, just guitars, drums, bass and her affectionate vocals.

"Love You Good", "Feel the Music" and "He's All Man" from Rose Tattoo were the evening's most startling moments. Steeped in country, the new songs felt like a piece of her rather than a bandwagon she's hopping on. For the better part of the last decade, she has taken pen to paper and written most of her own music and is now pushing her music through her own record label. More than two decades back, I am not sure anyone thought Tiffany would still be making music let alone with such tangible and gritty foot stomping country blues numbers. They find middle ground between Gretchen Wilson, Dolly Parton and Lucinda Williams. Especially effective was a scrappy blues guitar on "Love You Good". Strolling across the stage in bare feet, much like she would at home, there were no barriers between Tiffany and the audience. It was as if her stories were ours and even though she's best known for covering others songs, there were shades and dimensions to the songs from Rose Tattoo few could have imagined. Ultimately her set which showcased a little bit country and a little bit rock n' roll was something no one could foresee. She's currently touring on her own now and she's showed the crowd that there's more to her than rear window wistfulness.

Debbie Gibson took over the stage after a 15-minute break and in contrast to Tiffany's set; she was in full-on theatrical performance mode. Never one to rest of her laurels and taking a few decades of theater experience along for the ride, her hour-plus set was full of hits, a few numbers from Broadway and a medley of 80's hits. From the first to last note, she performed the entire show as if there were 20,000 sets of eyes on her. Opening with "Shake Your Love" Gibson, her six piece band and two backing dancers gave more of themselves than some of the acts touring with huge ensembles. One of the dancers was Buddy Casimano, who toured with Gibson from 1987-1994 and was one of the key people up front on the Out of the Blue and Electric Youth tours. Those two tours were incredibly well produced and executed sets where Gibson with less than two dozen songs to her name came out and performed longer than acts who had decades on her. Those who saw her back then tended to never dismiss her as she gave her all. Inside the House of Blues Gibson's twelve song set included all of her Top 20 Hits (only skipping "Staying Together #22 and "Anything Is Possible #26 from her Top 40 repertoire) along with a pair of number from Cabaret and a medley of 80's hits. The medley consisted of "Billie Jean", "Like A Virgin", "Conga", "Rhythm Nation", "The Right Stuff", "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" and "The Best". Like Tiffany before her, Gibson wore her influences on her sleeve never shying away from the entertainment aspect of the performance. She also never pretended to not be a fan of the songs she performed. There was a sense of glee in her moves and singing. Watching far too many acts whose time has come and gone, you watch them sleep through the performance, but Gibson was assertive and evocative.

Her first number one record, "Foolish Beat" featured Gibson alone on piano before the band, highlighted by a tender violin solo (which replaced the well known saxophone). "Out of the Blue" was spot-on in a completely faithful arrangement. Then there was the acoustic medley consisting of "No More Rhyme" and "We Could Be Together" both from Electric Youth the former cracked the Top 20 while the latter missed the Top 40 entirely and it's a shame as it's one of her best compositions perfectly blending fifties virtuousness with eighties bounciness. It's a ageless song and evokes great nostalgia from a time when music was simpler and more pure. To Gibson's credit, she always could find herself inside of a song and create melodies that wouldn't leave.

Despite having all but one of the songs written before she was twenty, she relished the platform to perform where she threw herself into the songs with a vengeance. It may have been promoted as an evening of nostalgia but these two artists proved that they can embrace their past without taking their eye off the future. The supercharged "Electric Youth" offered full on theatrics and karate-chop dance moves, but it was the remarkable vocals and eye of the tiger intensity that took the song to the next level. Upon its completion, there was an explosion of applause from the audience. It was evident from the performance that Gibson was doing this for more than a paycheck but immersed herself into the song as if she had just written it. Her latest composition, "Rise" had debuted on Good Morning earlier in the day and she performed a ridiculously impressive rendition of the song with a gospel choir.

The sets two final songs "Lost in Your Eyes" and "Only in My Dreams" solidified her grip on the audience. "Eyes" was her biggest hit and as she stood behind the piano, the song took flight and was carried by the audience as Gibson barely had to sing the song. "Only in My Dreams" was her first single and hit in the summer of 1987. Despite having bigger hits, it's the song that defines her. To think she wrote it before she could drive is a staggering proof to her talent as a songwriter. Her family could have hired a team of songwriters to take their daughter to the next level, but they didn't need to, Gibson had capacity and paired this with doe-eyed sincerity and an abundance of easy-on-the-ears melodies made her a star. Beneath all the different hats and roles Gibson has worn over the last twenty-five years, it's the role of songwriter that I believe she relishes the most. VH-1 ranked "Only in My Dreams" at #95 on their 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s program. The effortlessness of the lyric paired with a kaleidoscope of pop spectrum sounds transcends radio boundaries into a heartfelt manifestation. The sold-out crowd knew every word, sung it and watched Gibson as she summoned a physical and emotional release for her, the band and above all else the audience. Being a teen star is an impractical battle that should never be won. It was one thing for Gibson to attain the success she did, but to transform herself and her fans is an even bigger feat. The rejoinder of the crowd tells me that her fans never left her; the music she created (and continues to create) resonates stronger than most modern music her audience experiences today.