That was the dilemma facing the breakout act of 1998, the New Radicals, playing only their fifth concert together, Monday night at a packed Lee's Palace.
The latest project by 27-year-old pop mastermind Gregg Alexander (more about him later), the band is the current owner of a newly ubiquitous single and video, the irresistible fist-in-the-air singalong, "You Get What You Give".
The way they positioned that song in their hour-long set spoke volumes about their abilities. Instead of following the usual protocol of saving it till the very end, they dropped it in, without fanfare, half-way through the proceedings.
It was a gutsy move that paid off big time. Far from inciting a stream of fairweather fans to the exits, it jolted the crowd into action. Helped considerably by the gleefully exhibitionist behavior of backup singer Danielle Brisebois -- probably still best known as the little kid on the last five seasons of TV's "All In The Family" -- who spent a good deal of the evening trying to keep from bursting out of her tube top.
As for frontman/songwriter Alexander, though he's largely unknown, he's no novice. He recorded his debut album, "Michigan Rain", back in 1989 when he was just 17 years old, and released an almost as obscure follow-up, "Intoxifornication", three years later. He also produced and co-wrote Brisebois's equally rare 1994 debut, "Arrive All Over You" (as well as her as-yet-unreleased second album).
All of this experience shone through in Alexander's on-stage demeanour. Along with two performances of The Hit, he toyed confidently with six other songs from the band's exhilarating debut, "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too".
