The Barricade Boys Photo courtesy of The Barricade Boys

Formed in 2015 by Scott Garnham and Simon Schofield, the group has performed concerts that feature musical theatre, rock, and pop songs around the world, and they have numerous concert dates in cities across the U.S. this year. While many of the songs and medleys they sang at this year's Arizona Musicfest show were the same as those they performed at last year's concert, there were a few new selections and solos.

The group has had different combinations of members over the years and for the this concert Garnham and Schofield were joined by Craig Mather and Leon Kay. Garnham, Schofield, and Mather are original members of the group and Kay was a last-minute substitute for the remaining original group member, Kieran Brown, who was listed in the program but unable to attend. All four men have excellent singing voices and, under James Doughty's impressive music direction, they achieve some striking harmonies. Doughty's direction of the superb four-piece band was also quite remarkable.

Highlights in the evening's virtually non-stop slate of songs included four from Les Misérables. The show opened with a lovely version of "I Dreamed a Dream." There were also two songs that I mentioned in my review of last year's concert that were two of the best concert moments I've seen in years: a spectacular "Bring Him Home" and a superb "One Day More," with the later again ending the show on an emotional high. New this year was a beautiful version of "Stars" that featured Kay's deep resonate voice. The tight harmonies and gorgeous notes sustained in all four of the songs from this show that ties all of the Barricade Boys together are simply beautiful to hear.

The concert also featured several fun medleys, including one of the songs from ABBA, another one with Motown hits, one with songs made famous by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, a medley of rhythm and blues songs sung by the Blues Brothers, and one with Beatles songs. There was also an upbeat and driving "Defying Gravity" from Wicked and a fantastic performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody" that received a well-deserved standing ovation.

A few solos included brief versions of songs the quartet sang when talking about their past. Schofield sang "Where Is Love?" from Oliver, which was his first leading role in the West End, while the other three men sang songs from films that impacted them when they were young: Garnham sang a clear delivery of "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Mather sang a crisp version of "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story, and "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz received a gorgeous delivery from Leon Kay.

Other solos included Schofield's soaring delivery of "Somebody to Love" from We Will Rock You, which he performed in the West End, that included gorgeous high notes and a driving musical accompaniment from the band, and Garnham's beautiful delivery of "Who I'd Be" from Shrek, which was the first Broadway show he saw. Doughty also sang a beautiful version of "La vie en Rose," made famous by Edith Piaf, while the Barricade Boys had a brief wardrobe change offstage.

The Barricade Boys concerts are a non-stop and energetic evening of soaring harmonies, moving songs, an abundance of fun, and impressive musical showmanship. I can only hope they will be an annual event from Arizona Musicfest going forward.

The Barricade Boys performed at the Arizona Musicfest on March 17, 2025. For information on upcoming Arizona Musicfest concerts, please visit www.azmusicfest.org. For information on The Barricade Boys, visit barricadeboys.com.