THIS CHARMING MAN, JOHNNY MARR, HOUSE OF BLUES, ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA
The people of Orange County, California showed up to see This Charming Man, Johnny Marr and his band play and the Anaheim House of Blues. The show did not start without a hitch, unfortunately the House Of Blues had audio issues and the show started about thirty minutes late. The crowd stayed cool and calm only chatting Johnny's name every now and then. Once things were cleared Marr and his band came out focused and determined to give the fans what they wanted. Johnny. Fuckin. Marr.
The people of Orange County, California showed up to see This Charming Man, Johnny Marr and his band play and the Anaheim House of Blues. The show did not start without a hitch, unfortunately the House Of Blues had audio issues and the show started about thirty minutes late. The crowd stayed cool and calm only chatting Johnny's name every now and then. Once things were cleared Marr and his band came out focused and determined to give the fans what they wanted. Johnny. Fuckin. Marr.
Marr and his band played music spanning his career from his early days with super group of the 80s-90s, Electronic. The band originally included Bernard Sumnor of New Order and Joy Division along with Neil Tennet and Chris Lowe of The Pet Shop Boys. Marr covered songs like "Getting Away with it" and "Get the Message" which got the crowd dancing and singing along. He of course played his most beloved music of the Smiths with gems like " Big Mouth Strikes Again", "The Headmaster Ritual", "Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me" and he closed his first set with "How Soon is Now" which got a loud roar of excitement from the crowd.
This show, however, was not to showcase the old, but to accentuate the new. Last year Marr released a new album, "Call the Comet". He opened the show with "The Tracers" and continued on with "Hi Hello" and "New Dominions". He also played tracks from his previous album Playland like "Easy Money".
The show ended with a four song encore that included a cover of "I Feel You" by Depeche Mode. Marr had the house singing loudly along while performing his last two songs of the night, "There is a Light that Never Goes Out" and "You Just Haven't Earned it Yet, Baby", covers from The Smiths. It roused the crowd so much that multiple people decided to rush the stage just to touch the former Smiths guitarist.
Marr and his band have another show at the John Anson Ford Theater in Los Angeles on May 21, 2019, be sure to check it out.
PET SHOP BOYS RING IN HALLOWEEN WITH FESTIVE PERFORMANCE AT MICROSOFT THEATER, LOS ANGELES
It was Halloween weekend and some of the freaks and ghouls came out to see the Pet Shop Boys at the Microsoft Theater, Saturday night. I ran into Jareth (aka David Bowie from Labyrinth), a man dressed in a green suit from head to toe, and when asked what he was he just said: “I am myself.” Unfortunately, Microsoft Theater would not let him in the venue as himself because his face was covered by a green suit, but he fixed it and he was let in, along with every other cosplayer.
It was Halloween weekend and some of the freaks and ghouls came out to see the Pet Shop Boys at the Microsoft Theater, Saturday night. I ran into Jareth (aka David Bowie from Labyrinth), a man dressed in a green suit from head to toe, and when asked what he was he just said: “I am myself.” Unfortunately, Microsoft Theater would not let him in the venue as himself because his face was covered by a green suit, but he fixed it and he was let in, along with every other cosplayer.
The show was supposed to go on at 9 p.m. but they held out for a bit because the seats were not quite full yet; actually they were far from full. I think people expected an opening act so fans took their time coming in. Finally, the lights dimmed and the crowd roared. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe appeared on these platforms with circular backgrounds behind them, they started the show off with “Inner Sanctum” the seventh song on their new album Super. Song two was shockingly “West End Girls” off their debut album Please. Talk about sparking the nostalgia; I wore this cassette out when I was a kid, that’s for sure.
The Pet Shop Boys took us all on a time warp into the future. They are not the type of performers to get on stage and run around and get crazy; instead they focus on art and ambiance with a state-of-the-art laser light show. It was very impressive with beams of light going in every direction throughout the theater. Fans were amazed; you could here the “wow” and “whoas” in the crowd as they watched in awe. It was quite spectacular.
Tennant is not a man of many words, as he said himself on stage, but he did mention that Los Angeles has been very good for The Pet Shop Boys ever since Richard Blade (KROQ DJ, and Host of Video One) played them for the first time in 1984. That was a pretty special moment for those of us who remember Blade from back in the day, and the crowd cheered upon hearing his name.
The Pet Shop Boys ended the night with a few classics like ‘It’s a Sin,” “Left to my Own Devices,” “Domino Dancing,” and finally “Always on my Mind (Brenda Lee cover).”
Photography & Words: Wes Marsala
Written for Grimy Goods, November 1, 2016
