SLCene Suggests: Adam Ant at The Complex

ADAM ANT, THE COMPLEX, Tuesday, July 23, 7 p.m., $25

Chances are that if I had seen Adam Ant back in his ’80s heyday, I wouldn’t be nearly as excited about his arrival for a show in Utah on Pioneer Day Eve. But here I am, some 30 years or so past the man’s prime, totally geeked to see him for the first time. His early MTV hits with Adam and the Ants and then as a solo artist made Ant one of the most recognizable faces on the music-video channel, and the distinct sound of songs like “Prince Charming,” “Stand and Deliver” and “Ant Music” made him stand out from the New Romantic crowd of British pop stars invading the U.S. in droves at the time. His biggest hits, “Goody Two Shoes” and “Strip,” are a couple of my least favorites, but I still spin his effort at incorporating rockabilly-style guitar on his Vive Le Rock album–I think you can fit all the people who bought that one in a phone booth. After disappearing for much of the ’90s and ’00s, Ant re-entered the music biz with a slew of U.K. shows and, earlier this year, the release of a new album, Adam Ant is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner’s Daughter. Sounds appropriately over the top, same as Ant ever was. Prima Donna open the show.