I went to see Erasure in concert last night in Orlando. They're one of the core group of British bands I've been fans of since high school. The group includes Erasure, Depeche Mode, New Order and the Pet Shop Boys. However this was the first time I've seen Erasure live. Live footage from previous concerts shows that Andy Bell sounds as good on stage as he does on a CD. Standard cameraphone pic below. (Thiscubs4u has better shots from the Miami show)
I left the concert though with mixed emotions. It was a great experience to see them 'live' and Andy still has it vocally. To say that Andy is a bit flamboyant and plays to the gay fan-base would be a bit of an understatement. However, Andy is getting older and a little bit heavier.
I often found myself wondering what it would have been like to see them years ago, in full-form. In the early 90's I had the opportunity to go see them as part of the Wild tour. I didn't and I regret it to this day.
Visitor Comments
My three would include Depeche Mode and New Order and add The Cure.
Posted by: Mark | July 9, 2007 10:57 PM
Alas, when we saw Loverboy at Epcot last year, we were disappointed to find Mike Reno had definitely outgrown those red leather pants that graced the Get Lucky album cover (a cover that adorned the bedroom wall of just about every girl in high school at the time). He can still sing, though!
Posted by: Wendy | July 12, 2007 9:46 PM
The reason Andy looks the way he does is it is a side effect of his HIV medication. He is in good shape but can't really control the bloated belly and face look.
Posted by: Paul | July 16, 2007 4:25 PM
I just saw Erasure last night in Minneapolis and they were just as great as ever! The club, First Avenue, was packed and singing along loudly. I also had mixed emotions watching them perform because I DID see them back in 1990 during their Wild tour and that was such an extravaganza with multiple costume changes, dancers and singers and amazing scenery. This show still had the ol' glitter, but it made me sad to see them not quite in their full former glory. On the positive side, Andy still hit all the high notes and was in fine singing form. Oh, L'amour!
Posted by: Amy | July 28, 2007 11:35 PM
I just saw them last night in Brooklyn at the McClarren Pool Park. What a great venue. My friend and I just walked right up to the front, there was plenty of room and people were friendly.
This is probably the 5th time I've seen them and I felt like I was hanging out with pals from back in the day. It had a nice relaxed feel and I at times, I felt melonchony and some songs were bittersweet: mostly because of memories I've had with the songs but also because its amazing that they are still performing and touring. Andy sounded great and the backup singers were fantastic. It was fantastic to see them.
Saw the Pet Shop Boys at Radio City Music Hall last year after trying to see them for almost 20 years. That was another amazing experience.
Posted by: Lewis | August 4, 2007 6:04 PM