...we are WAITING!!!!!

and NOT very patiently.

where did they go?

ella731 said:

They went to an AMAZING concert but I'll let them fill in the blanks if they ever surface

this must've been an AMAZING concert, LOL

JonSnow said:

Nathan called me on his way home tonight and that is an affirmative!!!! I'm sure one of them will post soon.

All I know is they went without me.

But I did have lunch and dinner with them yesterday.

The show was amazing. I needed a break from the hectic schedule I've had to keep lately and a New Order concert coupled with a great reunion with friends was just the anecdote.

The venue was pretty large by general admission standards, with a capacity of about 3,000 people. Gangsta and I decided to brave the floor while Anxiety opted for the more sane approach in the balcony. Having been into their music for awhile, I was ripe to see them for the first time. They opened with, of all things, "Love Vigilantes", which got the crowd roaring. The energy only bubbled more as they followed with a blistering rendition of "Crystal" and the classic "Regret".

They then began to play some of the songs from Waiting for the Sirens' Call, all of which translated quite well live and were received well. "Hey Now What You Doing" and "Krafty" were delights, but can't compare to the mayhem that followed when the first thundering bass lines of "Transmission" initiated a frenzy! Gangsta and I went nuts and in the process created some space for ourselves with our wild moves. "True Faith" kept the energy up before they slowed things down with "Run Wild".

Two more new songs followed- the instantly catchy "Jetstream" and "Waiting for the Sirens' Call", which Bernard said was the band's current favorite from the new album. Both held up well among the classic heavyweights. "Bizarre Love Triangle" followed and was greeted with rapturous applause and dancing. Such a giddy song!

"Love Will Tear Us Apart" was next and had the whole crowd chanting the lyrics. Usually I find it a bit cheesy when the entire audience insists on drowning out the band, but it was a definite highlight. Perhaps the most classic of all their material, it had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands. How could they follow it? With "Temptation", naturally. I particularly went wild as this is one of my very favorites. Bernard injected a lot of energy into the delivery and the band seemed to really enjoy performing it.

After a brief break, the band came back and offered the audience the choice of the "last song". Based on audience applause, they were going to play either "Atmosphere" or "Your Silent Face". The crowd seemed pretty split and the band played both, although I get the feeling that was the plan all along. "Atmosphere" was a really special treat. The passion and dripping synth lines were utterly delectable. "Your Silent Face" was an equally prized gem. Then the band launched into a tumultuous version of "Blue Monday" which had everyone roaring with delight. The extended solos and gothic bliss had me grinning from ear to ear as I jumped through the whole thing.

It was a pretty tight setlist- 16 songs and about an hour and a half. It was everything I could have expected and hoped for out of a New Order show and provided much needed stress relief! Bernard was playful and chatty, seemingly telling jokes before each song and dancing around in a somewhat goofy manner during the more upbeat moments. As expected, there were no real visual distractions or posturing to distract the audience from the musical canon that unfolded. I was ultimately pleased in all aspects of the show.

some thoughts on the new order show...

i saw a concert that i never thought i'd see. new order isn't exactly a frequent-flyin' group of tourin' fools, and i just took it for granted that i'd never have an opportunity to catch them in whatever exotic location they might grace the world with whenever they decided to do a show. so really, i was just happy to be there, and even happier that it was with gangstafam, moonbeam and my boyfriend. i also feel like i went to see a band that i probably won't be able to see live again. let's face it - aside from being low with the touring and not very prolific, they're not getting any younger.

i've been to a lot of sold-out shows, but this show seemed to be about as sold-out as a sold-out show could get - especially in a smaller venue like the aragon. usually when i go there for a show, i can snag some decent balcony seats and chill out above the throngs of folks on the floor while still having a really great view of the stage. by the time we got to the venue this time, the balcony was full of people who had already snagged all the prime real estate. the floor was a sea of flesh. after the show, the merch table was completely pillaged, with only a couple of sorry lookin' remnants of t-shirts drooping off the wall and maybe a few copies of the opening band's EP remaining behind the counter.

while we were hanging out in the lobby after the show, mo collins from madtv passed us! well, *I* was excited about this, anyway.

the music:

the opening band was the assassins. they were okay. typical opening-band fare. not too interesting but really energetic and very excited to be opening for new order. tra la la.

new order: i wouldn't say this was one of the best shows i've seen, but i would say that just for the sense of occasion, it was an extremely gratifying experience to hear songs like 'true faith', 'blue monday', 'crystal' and 'bizarre love triangle' played live. as much as i love these songs and other new order classics, the music is so sly that i never think about what it takes to create these songs in a studio or on a stage. they just kinda hatched into my life like weird funky sexy '80s new wave danceteria birds. seeing new order bring this music to life on stage kinda brought me full circle with lots of years of listening to their music and not really considering anything else but being in the moment of listening to the finished, recorded product. if that makes any sense at all.

not the most visually engaging band in the world, though their lighting design was pretty fabulous.

wasn't really thrilled with their use of backing tracks in some of the songs, but what can ya do - it's dance music. and they didn't go overboard with the prerecorded stuff, so it was a misdemeanor at worst.

aside from the occasional backing track, their playing was fantastic. peter hook has amazing energy. bernard sumner actually acts as if he's enjoying himself while performing some of the most infectuous dance pop music created in the past thirty years (go figure). i expected aloof from a new order show - what i got was a feeling that these old schmoes really get off on playing the music they created. and they do it well. good for them.

and finally: love will tear us apart. oh, yes they did. and they did it well.

What _I'm_ trying to figure out is how they could have known that I like trains?

Moonbeam said:

tell me some more egg stories.

please tell me some more egg stories.

Anxiety said:

Well you see, Edie, there was once this Egg that was called The Boom. And We like the Boom. Now, this "Boom" Egg was once asked whether or not it was more of a rice egg or a noodles egg, to which the Boom Egg responded, "I don't have to make a choice- I like eggs and I like noodles!"

Huh? What?
























P.S. And we like the Boom!

I'm dying over here!

how can an egg go boom, cotton? how can an egg go boom???

Does this "Boom" egg also like rice?

I'm SOOOOO jealous!!!

Sounds like an amazing evening, all around.

CarrieMpls said:

I so wish that you, Shawna and Darin could've made it out. We would've rocked it! Hopefully they'll come around again soon.

That's my man!

GangstaFam said:

wuzzat pic from the chicago show?

Anxiety said:

GangstaFam said:

nice!

Anxiety said:

It is. And it's the closest I could get to a 'package' shot. It really was obscene.

GangstaFam said:

i remember it was mentioned that he was packing quite the waddage.

Anxiety said:

It was pretty hard to miss. That's probably how he hurt himself, but was too embarrassed to say.