I can't even fathom that here it is, almost 30 years later I would FINALLY see this band live. Bernard Sumner was fantastic and the animated graphics were just unreal.
We arrived at the show almost half an hour late which was my fault (I thought there were 2 opening bands and really there was only 1). So, we missed the first five songs, one of them Ceremony and the other Crystal. The Tower Theater is weird because it looks like you have assigned seating on your ticket and really it's just general admission. Since the bottom of the venue was all filled in with seating, we sat up top. It was hard finding two seats next to each other but we managed. Here is the set list....
SINGULARITY
CEREMONY
ACADEMIC
CRYSTAL
RESTLESS
LONESOME TONIGHT
YOUR SILENT FACE
TUTTI FRUTTI
PEOPLE ON THE HIGH LINE
BIZARRE LOVE TRIANGLE
WAITING FOR THE SIRENS' CALL
PLASTIC
THE PERFECT KISS
TRUE FAITH
TEMPTATION
ENCORE:
ATMOSPHERE
LOVE WILL TEAR US APART
BLUE MONDAY
It was more emotional for my friend because she is a huge Joy Division fan. When they kicked in with the Ian Curtis tribute she just lost it. Towards the end when they played "Blue Monday" I had tears. I used to break dance *badly* to that song at a very young age. So worth it and an experience I'll never forget.
Thanks to Amy and Laura for inspiration, I give you, "Girl + Records." This is basically a side-blog attributed to my love of record shopping and finds. While talking in line before going into a Sleater-Kinney concert, we said we want to bring attention to the awesome females who do collect albums and squash the rumors it's simply a guy thing. I have been collecting records on and off but it's become more of a permanent thing in my 20s.
At the young age of 3 I had one of the infamous Fisher Price record players (see above). Some of my record collection contained the likes of Disney, Sesame Street, and The Chipmunks (The Chipmunks Sing the Blues was my favorite album. Find that for me and you will win my heart forever!) Aside from those I remember owning these three in particular....
Duran Duran's "Wild Boys." I was completely into this band. I remember watching the music video for this song and Rio. Plus they aren't so bad to look at. Today I am still a fan and ironically seeing them this summer in concert.
Madonna's "Lucky Star." On the other side was "Like a Virgin." I had to be five years old but something in me sensed this song was kind of inappropriate and I usually flipped over to "Lucky Star." For some weird reason I would always equate this song with Rainbow Brite.
The one album I remember clearly owning and loving was Cyndi Lauper's "She's So Unusual." I liked it so much because it was different from anything else I've listened to. Her voice at times was like a cartoon character but then her pitch would just increase and she'd nail those notes.
Around the age of 9 or 10 my parents sold my albums and cassette tapes became a thing. I had this horrid white Sony boombox that would completely annihilate my cassettes leaving me in tears or cursing as I spun the wheels using a pencil to push everything back inside. However, in my 20s I saw a thing of beauty....
I'm not kidding I saved up a month's worth of paychecks at Old Navy to purchase this $249 system of double tape decks, 3 CD changer, and a turntable on the top. Since albums were not in major comeback mode, my collection was limited to yard sales and flea markets. However, as time went by I ditched this monstrosity and went for something smaller. Now everywhere I look little independent record stores are turning up in many places. Barnes and Noble even sells albums. It's great. In my mid-30s I own almost 200 albums. A lot of them were purchased in 2015 which will be my next post. So cheers to all of you who collect albums! Feel free to share your stories below in the comments.
