Last night Stuart and I (and the world and his husband) went to the Royal Opera House in London's glitzy Covent Garden to see The Pet Shop Boys tear the old place a new one.Wow! What a show! People were on their feet from the opening note and stayed dancing for the next hour and three quarters.
We had seen pretty much the same show almost exactly two years ago to the day at the House - although since then the set list has been improived - tweaking it slightly - losing a couple of the more recent singles and inserting an extra classic or two.
Expectations were pretty high as we took our seats, but boy did the Boys deliver again. It was if a giant herd of rainbow flag-draped disco dancing musical unicorns pranced onto the stage of the Royal Opera House and rubbing their silver sparkling horns together spunked out torrents of shiny disco balls of pure pop loveliness that then exploded into the ears of the delighted crowd.
The background visuals were so stunning and the laser light show so joyously bright that when it splattered its spunky love-light across the smiling faces of each and everyone in the auditorium it was like some multi-coloured glowing rainbow luminous bukaki.As you might gather - I liked the show.
The Boys were simply in magnificent form - interacting with the crowd between the songs (well, Neil anyway) - in fine voice (well, Neil anyway) - dancing around the stage (well, Neil anyway) - and wearing stupid hats (OK, they BOTH did that!) It was everything you expected from a Pet Shop Boys show and more.
It was like their Imperial phase was back all over again. They owned the place!
And after all this time they know how to put a show together - they work with the best. The set design, the background visuals, the sound design were all amazeballs and hung together magnificently. The show had a real feel of being integrated. Something you don't always see in a gig. But here it all had a single vision and it all came together perfectly. And this vision was DISCO.
The Boys managed to pull off that difficult trick of getting the set list right too. With such a large back catalogue to choose from and with new work to promote you're never going to please everyone. But they seemed to give the occasional fan plenty of hits, promote their two most recent two albums quite well and keep the hard-core Pethead on-board too.
And you don't always know what is going to work live. Even on paper you think something might work better than it did on the night. For example one of my personal favourite songs from thir latest album Super is The Dictator Decides. But this didn't really work live - the vocal got rather lost - whereas The Sodom and Gomorrah Show (an album track from ten years ago) went down as an epic sing-a-long storm.
For the last few songs of the night the boys were joined on stage by dancers wearing brightly-coloured inflatable fat suits. Very funny and the dancing looked great.
Let's hope that when the third of the triplet of Stuart Price produced albums appears in the next couple of years the Boys promote it in a similar way with a really big arena show. Because this was a super Super show and we deserve an encore on an even bigger stage.We love the Pet Shop Boys.
High point: Vocal
Higher point: Burn
Higher point still: The Sodom and Gomorrah Show
Highest point: New version of Left to My Own Devices
Set List:-
Inner Sanctum
Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)
The Pop Kids
In the Night
BurnLove Is a Bourgeois Construct
New York City Boy
Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)
Love Etc.
The Dictator Decides
Inside a Dream
West End Girls
Home and Dry
The Enigma
Vocal
The Sodom and Gomorrah Show
It's a Sin
Left to My Own Devices (New version)
Go West (New version) (Village People cover)
Encore:
Domino Dancing
Always on My Mind (Brenda Lee cover)
The Pop Kids (Reprise)
Posts
Totally +1 on ‘Sodom and Gomorrah Show’ !! Who knew ? And also agree re ‘Dictator’, it felt like it was almost there deliberately to give us all a breather. I also loved ‘The Enigma’ sequence too ...
ReplyDeleteI wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post. Medicated Dog Shampoo for Allergies
ReplyDeleteYou know your projects stand out of the herd. There is something special about them. It seems to me all of them are really brilliant! Pros and Cons of Electric Fence for Dogs
ReplyDeleteThis is my first time i visit here. I found so many interesting stuff in your blog especially its discussion. From the tons of comments on your articles, I guess I am not the only one having all the enjoyment here keep up the good work best pet stroller for multiple dogs
ReplyDeleteThis makes it easy to find one that will fit your pup the best while choosing something that suits his personality perfectly. harnesshub
ReplyDeleteWow, cool post. I'd like to write like this too - taking time and real hard work to make a great article... but I put things off too much and never seem to get started. Thanks though. waterproof dog bed
ReplyDeleteI admire this article for the well-researched content and excellent wording. I got so involved in this material that I couldn’t stop reading. I am impressed with your work and skill. Thank you so much. secure dog crate
ReplyDeletePlease share more like that. bark collar for german shepherd
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYou make so many great points here that I read your article a couple of times. Your views are in accordance with my own for the most part. This is great content for your readers. Read More
ReplyDeleteHaving a broad shopfitting knowledge that you can rely on when searching for the right shop fit-out company is essential. We have strongly worked with some of the largest brands in Australia, and welcome smaller shops too.shopfitting
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing blog that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free. Check it out
ReplyDeleteIn the world of www, there are countless blogs. But believe me, this blog has all the perfection that makes it unique in all. I will be back again and again. View More
ReplyDeleteThis particular is usually apparently essential and moreover outstanding truth along with for sure fair-minded and moreover admittedly useful My business is looking to find in advance designed for this specific useful stuffs… Read More
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing nice information with us. i like your post and all you share with us is uptodate and quite informative, i would like to bookmark the page so i can come here again to read you, as you have done a wonderful job. The Best Age to Neuter a Large Breed Dog
ReplyDeleteThank you because you have been willing to share information with us. we will always appreciate all you have done here because I know you are very concerned with our. Check it out
ReplyDeleteNice to be visiting your blog again, it has been months for me. Well this article that i've been waited for so long. I need this article to complete my assignment in the college, and it has same topic with your article. Thanks, great share. Flea and Heartworm Pill for Dogs
ReplyDeleteAwesome article, it was exceptionally helpful! I simply began in this and I'm becoming more acquainted with it better! Cheers, keep doing awesome! Food for Sick Dog With No Appetite
ReplyDeleteIn any case, when you've instructed that hound human ideas, it's not, at this point a canine - it's a Canine Sapiens, a cross breed among pooch and Homo Sapiens (which is Latin for Thinking Man). It can't cheerfully return to the pack. Without wishing to lead such a trial. best snuffle mat for dogs
ReplyDeleteI can set up my new idea from this post. It gives in depth information. Thanks for this valuable information for all,.. dummyweste
ReplyDeleteI have been checking out a few of your stories and i can state pretty good stuff. I will definitely bookmark your blog buy likes app
ReplyDeleteAn outing to the sea shore is another acceptable decision for pet proprietors.best cat crate for car travel
ReplyDeleteThis large mystery is found in fixing definitions. In contrast to 'individuals' food where you can practically take a gander at the food to decide the quality, pet food is far various. Animals Do The Craziest Things
ReplyDeleteonly strive to mention one's content can be as incredible. This clarity with your post is superb! Thanks a lot, hundreds of along with you should go on the pleasurable get the job done. read more
ReplyDeleteA very awesome blog post. We are really grateful for your blog post. You will find a lot of approaches after visiting your post. what are good treats for yorkies
ReplyDeleteI realize this is one of the most meaningful counsel for me. And i am vivacious studying your article. however have to commentary upon some standard matters, the internet site style is unmodified; the articles are invincible. thank you for the ton of actual and viable explicit. Exotic pet store
ReplyDeleteThis is my first visit to your web journal! We are a group of volunteers and new activities in the same specialty. Website gave us helpful data to work. Beautiful fish
ReplyDeleteWhy not watch a couple of James Bond motion pictures and take notes? You may not be super government agent material, yet you can at any rate put off a super covert operative air! escort girls in Milan
ReplyDeleteThen you will find your match which are selected based on your sexual orientation preferences and are divided into tabs of who's online, new match and members near me and gold members. threesome finder sites
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing blog that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free. online pet supplies
ReplyDeleteSince you are adopting a little puppy and not an adult dog from the dogs for sale shop, you have to keep in mind the growth factor of the puppy. Pomsky puppies for sale in Ohio
ReplyDelete. Prior to forking over your well deserved money, call around a couple of reproducers to attempt to evaluate a normal cost. Most raisers will charge extra for little cats that show incredibly great variety norms and might be reasonable for appearing.
ReplyDeletecat bubble backpack
The steep rise in the prices of all commodities has become such a crucial problem that people are always on the look out for places where you can purchase reflective dog gear cheaply.
ReplyDeleteMany people consider their pet(s) to be a part of their family and they want the best online pet supplies possible. dog toys
ReplyDelete