A heightened sense of joyous relief enveloped the Hollywood Bowl on Friday.
Having been delayed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the “Unity” Tour featuring New Order and Pet Shop Boys finally arrived at the famed venue for the first of two sold out shows. The lone Southern California dates are among just a dozen nationwide.
Both acts were among the biggest to emerge from England during the early-to-mid 1980s. New Order formed in Manchester from the ashes of post-punk band Joy Division and fused a unique hybrid of synth pop, dance, and rock. London's Pet Shop Boys were inspired by the New York City club scene in creating its early indelible jams. New Order first split up in 1993, reformed later that decade and have taken extended hiatuses since then. Founding bassist Peter Hook, a key architect in the signature sound, left acrimoniously in 2007. Pet Shop Boys, together for the duration, has been far more prolific, releasing 14 studio albums, an assortment of side projects, remix albums and soundtracks.
Before New Order took the stage, a montage of classic Los Angeles scenes and clips from the 1940s-60s were set to “Times Change” (a brief shot of Tower Records Sunset drew loud cheers).
As this tour reaches the home stretch, singer/guitarist Bernard Sumner seemed a little worse for wear and took several songs to warm up properly. Still, the band’s sharp music delivery more than made up for any initial shortcomings on his part.
The quintet’s 14-song, 85-minute set kicked off with the wistful charmer “Regret.” Bassist Tom Chapman held his own on the jittery “Age of Consent” as Gillian Gilbert played swelling synths. Various clips and videos (occasionally odd; always intriguing) were shown on the screens and immense use of lasers amped the excitement level. New Order’s 1981 debut single “Ceremony” boasted memorable electric guitar work from Sumner and Phil Cunningham.
The tranquil “Your Silent Face,” with Sumner on melodica, was an early highlight. Sumner really got animated during “Subculture,” pumping his fist and yelping. Drummer Stephen Morris and Cunningham strutted their stuff on the extended outro. “Bizarre Love Triangle,” one of the group’s signature songs, got an overwhelming reaction from concertgoers. It had a fresh opening; Sumner engaged in mild dancing and even handed the microphone to some people in front of the stage to tackle the chorus.
Other well-known tunes such as “True Faith” and “Blue Monday” sounded solid and kept everyone on their feet dancing around. On the latter, Sumner continued his usual bit where he goes over to Gilbert’s keyboards and synth to play the ending. Another high point was the dazzling “Temptation,” with Sumner’s gritty yelps.
Come encore time, the singer relayed that they just worked up a punk version of a song they felt was appropriate for the location and “thought we’d give it a go.” Turned out to be a cover of the Mama’s and the Papa’s “California Dreaming” that actually sounded more Neil Young & Crazy Horse than punk. The band did Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” with Sumner playing acoustic guitar to finish.
Prior to Pet Shop Boys' entrance, a rectangular stage screen projected the colors of the Ukrainian flag. “Tonight, we’re going on a journey,” grandly announced singer Neil Tennant, later noting this was their Hollywood Bowl debut. The enthralling 18-song, 85-minute set – including a dozen U.K. top 10 singles – began with the inviting pop of “Suburbia.” Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, clad in white coats, stood beside large streetlamps, their faces obscured by what could be best described as tuning forks. An assortment of colorful patterns, vintage movie clips and old PSB videos on the backdrop kept everything interesting.
“Can You Forgive Her?” downplayed a little of the orchestral drama for other musical flourishes, while “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money),” prompted loud singalong action by fans. The pleasant cover medley of U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” and the Frankie Valli-sung “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” spotlighted the mellifluous side of Tennant’s voice. “I Don’t Know What You Want but I Can’t Give it Anymore” (off 1999’s “Nightlife”) was bolstered by a heavier Giorgio Moroder-type rhythm.
Early on, Tennant had taken the mask off and started working the stage, while Lowe kept his on longer. They briefly left the stage for costume changes as the three-piece backing band were unveiled. The high NRG “Left to My Own Devices” and “Domino Dancing” had people dancing up a storm as did other “Introspective” EP selections like the soulful, syncopated piano-driven “It’s Alright” (dedicated to “all the old ravers out there”) and strident “Always on My Mind” cover (one the three best versions ever after Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson).
Bathed in red light, Pet Shop Boys really whipped fans into a frenzy amid main set closer “it’s a Sin,” with a more percussive intro. For the encore, roadies dressed as construction workers pushed the streetlamps back together and it was time for the sleek dance-rap of “West End Girls.”
Tennant said onstage, “This song brought us to L.A. in 1986 when Richard Blade was playing it on KROQ.” In 2020, the singer told Great Britain’s Guardian newspaper “West End Girls” (which reached No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic as well as top 5 in several other countries) was an “escape into the city at night, emblematic of pleasure.” He added in the interview that it has a “a promise of something that never goes away.”
Seedy backdrop scenes of New York City and Amsterdam exemplified that atmosphere. In Los Angeles, Tennant shrewdly updated one lyric as “Here today/built to last/in every city and every nation/from Mariupol to Kiev station” to loud cheers. Then the duo capped their set off with the melancholy recollections of “Being Boring.”
Superstar DJ Paul Oakenfold, who started the British trance music label Perfecto in the late ‘80s and was a sought-after remixer/producer along with Steve Osborne for more than a decade, did 25-minute opening sets between the headliners.
Remaining North American tour dates:
Oct. 8 Hollywood Bowl - Los Angeles
Oct. 12 Chase Center - San Francisco
Oct. 14 Climate Pledge Arena - Seattle
Oct. 16 Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena - Vancouver
Pet Shop Boys photo by Phil Fisk. Photo courtesy Sacks Co. PR
George Paul
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