They say confession is good for the soul so allow me to get this off my chest.......I was never the biggest New Order fan till earlier this year.
Sure I owned a 12'' vinyl copy of "Blue Monday" back in the day.....but really who didn't? but the only New Order album I owned was "Substance"{not a bad album to have if you ask me} which has since been upgraded to cd.
I did own a copy of "Republic" but my favourite New Order cd until recently was the cd single for "World In Motion" the Italia 90 England World Cup song,which has made it's way onto many a mix tape let me tell you and why wouldn't it w/ lyrics like"Catch me if you can cos I'm the England man and what you're looking at is the master plan,we ain't no hooligans this ain't a football song Three Lions on my chest I know I can't go wrong"
At the start of the year Sex Dwarf featured New Order at its January dance party and after 5 hours of dancing to a ton of New Order songs that nite I realized how much I really loved them,that coupled w/ becoming a regular at DJSC at Silk City each month since Febuary where New Order and Joy Division{all bow to the memory of Ian Curtis}also feature heavily it was somewhat of a no brainer then when New Order announced a North American summer tour and Philly was a stop that I'd be there in a heartbeat.
I was a little concerned when more than one of my group of concert going friends passed on the New Order show citing"they're not a great live band" mantra this coupled w/ a Jimmy Kimmel Live performance early in the year I wondered if they were right....then I caught a few tracks off the recently released "Live At Bestival 2012" cd I felt I had nothing to worry about,like Dennis Nordon used to say on tv back in the day"it'll be alright on the night".....and was it ever!
From the dulcet intro of "Elegia" it was straight to the jugular w/ "Crystal" probably my favourite newer New Order song b4 Bernard Sumner apologized for the length of time since New Order last played Philly.
A one two punch times two followed,"Regret" "Ceremony" "Age Of Concent" and "Isolation" the first of the nites Joy Division songs.
It was interresting to see the reactions from differing sections of The Mann,some folk were up and dancing all nite others waiting till more recognizable songs but trust me to quote an old Blondie track"the jam was moving"
New Order are a dance band,how can you listen to them and sit still?I know I can't!!
Continuing to share the wealth of their considerable derth of material "Here To Stay" followed by another personal favourite "Touched By The Hand Of God" "Your Silent Face" and "World"
For a guy w/ a fractured leg Bernard Sumner was doing a stellar job leading the line and while the purists will say it's not New Order w/out Peter Hook it was still a kick arse show and w/ Barney and Stephen it's still half of Joy Division and from a personal point of view I'm glad to have Gillian Gilbert back in the line up.
Winding things up for the big finish we got "Bizarre Love Triangle" and "True Faith" b4 "586"
There was one song I wanted to hear more than anything tonite......"The Perfect Kiss" and I got it b4 the set ended w/ "Blue Monday" and "Temptation"
Returning for their encore Barney asked if there were any Joy Division fans in the house.....the roar was deafening"some people think I don't like playing Joy Division songs.......that's a load of bollocks"
"Atmosphere" kicked things off complete w/ the iconic video on the big screen,maybe the loudest cheer of the night was when the image of Ian Curtis appeared,gone but NEVER to be forgotten!
"Shadowplay" lead us to inevitable finale"this is our final song"lamented Barney"but it's a good one" as he switched guitars and struck the first note of the seminal classic "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
My love affair w/ Joy Division and subsequently New Order began back in 1980 when I first heard Ian's ode to Annik Honore but my understanding of the song became much clearer after seeing the 2007 movie "Control" the movie based on Ian Curtis's wife Deborah's novel "Touching From A Distance"I whole heartedly recomend both to anyone not familur w/ Ian's short yet tragic life.
As I made my way home across West Philly after the show I couldn't help but feel even though I'd never set foot inside the famed Manchester nite club The Hacienda made famous by New Order that this is how it must of felt like back in the 80's when they played,that to me is the beauty of music it can transend time even contenents if you let it.....
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