The naysayers will point to all the obvious things when you mention you are going to 2012 New Order show – Bernard can’t sing, there’s no Peter Hook and it’s not the original lineup.
Here’s the real question – does any of that really matter?
Let’s start with Bernard Sumner. Anyone who has listened to any New Order from their inception will say that at best, he is a decent sounding front man capable of penning extremely catchy tunes. Nobody will listen to a New Order song and think , hmm the vocal work here is amazing, surely this is a track someone will sing on X Factor to become the next star. Nope. So should you expect something better at the live show? I don’t think so.
As for Peter Hook situation, yes, he is no longer part of New Order and yes there is some awesome bass work on New Order tracks but really if that is stopping you from seeing a band, maybe you shouldn’t see them in the first place.
The people who did go see New Order on Monday night (and there were a lot of them) were treated to greatest hits set that was sure to appease any fan. Just take a look at the first three tracks:
Crystal
Regret
Ceremony
Amazing. Only in moments like this do you take a step back and realize just how big a band like New Order is. Three tracks from three different decades that in their own right are exceptional… and that was just the first three songs.
Playing the hit tracks with it’s corresponding music video as the backdrop, the newly formed band sounded tight and for most part, performed each hit song as you would have expected them to sound. The only misstep in my opinion was the track True Faith, which sounded like a muddled mess with the instruments drowning out Berard’s voice for the most part. It was disappointing to hear that song messed up since it featured one of my favorite lines ever:
When I was a very small boy, very small boys talked to me.
Genius.
New Order, for most part, elected to play the songs straight through. There was very little dancing among the band, and let’s face it, when Bernard dances, it’s like that drunk uncle at a wedding. There wasn’t much conversation with the audience but really, why talk when you could play Bizarre Love Triangle?
Perfect Kiss, Temptation and the iconic Blue Monday were the highlights among a flurry of hits that ended off the non encore portion of the set. It would have started a dance party, but this was a seated venue which is always tricky with dancing and also, half the crowd probably qualified for the seniors menu at Albert’s fine dining.
The encore portion of the show featured these two tracks
Transmission
Love will tear us apart
I guess if any band had the right to sing these two tracks, it would be New Order and while the music sounded great, Bernard’s voice just doesn’t hold up compared to the deep baritone of Ian Curtis. I still sang out the tracks so whatever. As you can probably deduce by now, I’m a pretty big fan of New Order/Joy Division but really, no one is just casually going to wait on their computer at 10 am on the morning of the concert sale, and pay seventy dollars to see a band they kind of like/are interested in. This was a show for the fans.
All in all it was an amazing set list. When New Order took the stage to start off the show, Bernard said to the crowd in a joking manner “told you we’d be back “. When they finished off this set, he simply said thank you. If this was their last show here, I am most certainly glad to have been part of it.
Crystal
Regret
Ceremony
Age of Consent
Isolation
Here to Stay
Your Silent Face
Waiting for the Sirens’ Call
Bizarre Love Triangle
586
True Faith
The Perfect Kiss
Blue Monday
Temptation
Transmission
Love Will Tear Us Apart