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I have posted pictures to our blog. We won a press pass to interview the band (unfortunately Bernie was at the hospital having his foot looked at). Peter Hook was quite charming and very friendly - even let us hang around during his next interview with XM radio.
Great show, even cooler to get to go into the photograper pit to get up close and take pictures. I managed 145 pictures, the blog has the best. I might start a new blog and upload the lot, i will post again if i do.
Thanks
A few replies to people here all in 1 post:
John Forester - Nah, I took off. I tried to jump the line with my Guest Pass from the concert but it didn't fly; that's when I saw you in line. I was with my wife and dav-O and Sean. We walked a few blocks down the road to this all-night hot dog stand. As we walked back toward my car I saw there was still a decent size line at Neo and left.
Ketchupaholic - I don't know much about Lou Diamond Phillips, I assume he may use drugs and why you asked if he was with me joking because of my name. But the Drug Rep means pharmaceutical rep, so I am legal!
Spotnik - Thank you so much, I look foward to your email when you get back home.
dav-O - Glad you made it home safe. Had a blast with you and Sean. Thanks for sending me a few copies, I'll send you some money. Scan it also and email me if you can.
Drug Rep (Corey)
I have revised and updated my review and posted it in the review section.
I was able to add more details after listening to the bit-torrent tape of the concert, which helped bring back some nice memories.
I can't wait to hear about tonight's New York show!
From the time I stepped into the Smartbar to the afterparty at Neo…It was one incredible experience!
THANK YOU
Karma and the Chicago gang for being such wonderful hosts. Great Job!!!!
Wenorder for being the lucky bastard he is!
Nicolas LeBlanc and David Sultan for keeping New Order alive on the internet with NOOL and WIM.
Colin and the rest of the NOOLers I met and didn’t meet for being there!
Jonnie Giles, Al Jarvis and the rest of the Brits for sharing the spirit of the obsession!
Elizabeth for the 41st Birthday present.
Finally, to Hooky, Barney, Steve, Gillian, Phil, and Ian for a lifetime of memories.
drugrep wrote: A few replies to people here all in 1 post:
John Forester - Nah, I took off. I tried to jump the line with my Guest Pass from the concert but it didn't fly; that's when I saw you in line. I was with my wife and dav-O and Sean. We walked a few blocks down the road to this all-night hot dog stand. As we walked back toward my car I saw there was still a decent size line at Neo and left.
Ketchupaholic - I don't know much about Lou Diamond Phillips, I assume he may use drugs and why you asked if he was with me joking because of my name. But the Drug Rep means pharmaceutical rep, so I am legal!
Spotnik - Thank you so much, I look foward to your email when you get back home.
dav-O - Glad you made it home safe. Had a blast with you and Sean. Thanks for sending me a few copies, I'll send you some money. Scan it also and email me if you can.
Drug Rep (Corey)
This may clear thing up/
The guy second from the right is a rep for Levitra, so when I saw drugrep I initially thought you might be him. His brother is second from the left. I was calling him Lou Diamond all night. 
hey al, im still going to kick your ass in fantasy football :) it was also a pleasure meeting you and elizibeth! i feel like an ass for frogetting names of people i met :( but it was such a hectic weekend, it seems like a blur. the show itself was fantastic, hearing love vigilantes as the opener threw me for a huge loop, such a powerful song. thanks for the dvd's and happy birthday :)
GO whatever the fuck I call my FF team next season!!!
While listening to the bit-torrent, i had a sudden revelation: they played HNWYD too fast! That explains Barney's joke that it was the pumped version. And that Steve is addicted to crystal meth and speed (both the same though)...and hotel porn! 
Now I know why that was the only song i did not instantly recognize when they started playing it.
Also, did anyone else notice that there was a problem with Hooky's bass during Temptation? It happened when he wandered too far away, it sounded like it was cutting in and out. I think his transmitter was out of range, running low on battery or something.
Man I wish I was in NY right now! 
Here are the reviews of the Chicago show from the local papers. Brad
New Order is a joy undivided
By Joshua Klein Special to the Tribune Published May 5, 2005 Even with 25 years under its collective belt--more, if you include its slightly earlier incarnation as Joy Division--New Order still often behaves like it has stumbled fortuitously into its place in the post-punk pantheon. For years the band has exhibited a remarkable lack of ego, its particular genius stemming from an endearing casualness.
But the more these affable blokes from Manchester shrug off any honorifics, the more their followers offer them. The thousands at the sold-out Aragon Ballroom on Tuesday night worshiped the band like a spirit-fearing ancient tribe witnessing a solar eclipse.
New Order, for its part, has gradually shifted from being almost confrontationally aloof to grudgingly accepting, and perhaps even being proud of, its legacy. That's noticeable from the number of Joy Division songs the group now regularly and enthusiastically sticks into its set.
"That was a beautiful song by Joy Division," singer Bernard Sumner said after the group played its first encore of the spectral and spectacular "Atmosphere." He then said, "This is a beautiful song by New Order," before the band began the hypnotic pulse of "Your Silent Face."
Those two songs capped a stunning evening of music that ranged from rockers such as "Crystal" to more dance-oriented tracks such as "True Faith," "Bizarre Love Triangle" and "Blue Monday." Hot off a celebrated performance at California's Coachella festival, New Order proceeded to eclipse that set in even better spirits and better form.
Sumner played jaunty melodica to start the group's wartime meditation "Love Vigilantes," while drummer Stephen Morris deftly embellished various programmed rhythms. New member Phil Cunningham helped keep songs such as "Krafty" afloat during the quiet bits, then aided the band as it soared into one ecstatic chorus after another.
Yet the heart of New Order remains bassist Peter Hook, the melodic hum of his guitar the group's most identifiable trademark and his splay-legged stances and lurching strumming the most overt link to the band's punk roots. As the minimalist "Temptation" hit euphoric heights and "Regret" the right notes of romantic longing--and even when the band took a breather with the banal "Jetstream"--Hook's playing always provided a vital boost.
That was never more apparent than when the group pounded out furious renditions of Joy Division's "Transmission" and "Love Will Tear Us Apart." In fact, all four members seemed to tap into stores of power and energy they sometimes kept in check during lighter numbers, as if recognizing the lasting impact of these songs and the need to do them justice.
New Order crackles with energy May 5, 2005 BY THOMAS CONNER Sun-Times Staff Reporter
When New Order finished playing "Transmission" -- a quirky song by New Order's doomed, post-punk predecessor, Joy Division -- singer Bernard Sumner hissed and said, "Enough of that rock s---! We want you to start dancing!" And, true to the band's hits-heavy set, they launched into "True Faith" as if it were a brand-new nightclub sensation. Like most of the set Tuesday night at the Aragon Ballroom, these were songs they seemed obliged to play. God forbid a New Order concert should pass without "True Faith," "Bizarre Love Triangle" and the requisite Joy Division chestnut. But during "Transmission," something happened that makes New Order shows still worth seeing after (gulp) a quarter of a century. This band -- a British outfit we sometimes know more from dance floors and John Hughes movie soundtracks -- actually rocked. Sumner matched the songs' quaint but deceptively foreboding mood with uncharacteristic growling and gurgling (it's a bit low for his range), while bassist Peter Hook barked and shrieked randomly. And for a few minutes, the New Order experience was about pogoing and pumping fists rather than twirling and dancing. Post-punk, indeed. Tuesday's energetic show was spiced with such moments. Given that the band's live incarnation is a genuine guitar-bass-drums-vocals quartet, the occasional use of pre-recorded synthesizers and beats seemed surprisingly intrusive. The best songs were those that allowed guitarist Phil Cunningham to cut loose ("Regret," "Crystal") and let Hook show off his chiming namesake hooks in soloing poses at the edge of the stage (nearly every song, but especially the new "Hey Now What You Doing" and the opener, "Love Vigilantes"). Hook was manic, and once again he proved to be an invaluable asset in the band's attack -- something not said about many bass players. Looking like a bedraggled Alan Rickman, Hook prowled the spotlight all night, plucking out the alarmingly simple bass melodies that make New Order, like so many of the British bands from that early '80s era, sound as good in concert and on the dance floor as it does in the car or on an iPod. Sometimes he's providing the groove, sometimes he's taking the melody, often he's doing both. Again, this magic peaked during a Joy Division song, the classic "Love Will Tear Us Apart." It had its typically lumbering moments, but when Hook stopped bellowing indecipherably, dropped the melody and started grinding into his black bass next to drummer Stephen Morris' explosive kit, the two sparked some crackling fire, which Hook tamed to the end with an absurd but wildly cheered one-note solo back at stage's edge. Sumner introduced all the songs -- no suspense, no pretensions -- cracked jokes and thanked Chicago for waiting 12 years since the band's last local show. And, really, it's that down-to-earth attitude that makes New Order still so engaging at this late date. The band didn't break new ground, by any means, but it rocked -- no extended remix required.
New Order comeback wows fans By Ted Cox Daily Herald Staff Writer Posted Thursday, May 05, 2005 There’s nothing like an almost-ignored comeback to humble an arrogant rock band — and revitalize its music. The British dance-rock kings of ’80s ennui New Order had spent the last decade on hiatus, with only the modestly successful comeback album “Get Ready” in 2001 to jostle their fans’ slumber. But the group has bounced back this year with the full-scale return to form “Waiting for the Sirens’ Call,” and it played its first Chicago gig in a dozen years at the Aragon Ballroom Tuesday, putting on a show that was jaw-droppingly crowd-pleasing. Unlike in the ’80s, they didn’t rant about how much they hate Americans. Unlike at Lollapalooza in 1993, they were more animated and personable than simply saying “Thankyew” at the end of each number. Singer-guitarist Bernard Sumner introduced each song by name and even indulged in some stabs at humor. And if there was a hint of Ricky Gervais cruelty to his jabs — “What do you expect? You only paid $5 to get in,” he said at one point, adding, “That was a joke” (tickets were actually $50, and T-shirts almost as much) — the band nevertheless rocked. They mixed new material with old hits in a well-paced 90-minute set, and even threw in a few songs from their previous incarnation as Joy Division. The sold-out crowd loved it, chiming in on “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” which has to be the most unlikely audience sing-along song since the Ramones’ “Pinhead” with its “gabba gabba hey” chorus.
Members of New Order joked with the Aragon Ballroom crowd Tuesday night, a departure from their more stoic days.
New Order long ago established itself as the most faceless of major rock bands. Bassist Peter Hook was the only one who really seemed to adore being a rock star. Lugging his bass around at knee level like a mover with a bad back, he hauled the band’s music up and dragged it out on Tuesday, as Sumner, drummer Steven Morris and guitarist-keyboardist Phil Cunningham fell into step behind him. That in turn allowed Hook the freedom to amble out and take spotlight bass solos behind the speaker banks at the sides of the stage. Otherwise, as ever when New Order is at its best, the music was a model of unadorned efficiency, with the jagged rhythms locking into place, as when Sumner and Hook teamed up to drive the closing “Temptation” to its conclusion. “We’ll see you in another 12 years,” Sumner said, again adding, “That was a joke.” Indeed it was, as the band returned for a three-song encore, finishing with “Blue Monday,” which left everyone happy. The Assassins opened. Taking the old Nirvana formula of mixing soft and loud to extremes, they veered from melodic pop to industrial drone. If they ever write an irresistible chorus that unites the two, their days as an opening act will be over and they’ll be the ones worrying about how to sustain success as well as New Order.
Great reviews of the show....sums up an amazing performance! Transmission still gives me chills... My wife willingly came along with me, especially to watch me jump up and down like an idiot (who would do it again in a heartbeat), but in the end she outshined me. She was the one in the pink shirt who grabbed Hooky's encore T-shirt!!! Iron-clad two fisted hold! Between that and hearing her hum LWTUA unconsciously in our hotel room I could not have been more proud!!! We had an unbelievable time in Chicago, and can't wait to return.
Thanks to:
-Nicolas for the great web site...the info and quick updates made planning very easy -Kamar and friends for the email help and great afterparty -the people who helped sort out the encore T-shirt scrum...muchly appreciated (no one got hurt :) ) -Edgar and Amy for the pre-concert chat - great to see the wheelchair lady wasn't just screaming at us!
I see there are a few posted pictures of the show...if there are any pictures out there that can be shared please let me know!!! We tried to get pics of the inside of the Aragon the next day, but the setup for Weezer was in progress.
Thanks to all who made the week memorable!
Cheers!
Great reviews and pics from everyone. Keep it coming.
It was an amazing show, and I cannot add to what everyone else has said. I'll only say that singing along to LWTUA with Peter Hook will be a cherished memory.
I've been trying to get into dimeadozen for the live recording of the show but it keeps saying it full. :(
If anyone can e-mail me a copy at ericpear@yahoo.com I would appreciate it immensely. Let me know if there are any New Order or related tracks you are looking for and maybe we can do a trade.
And let's hope they make it back to Chicago soon!
Hey it's great to see that a fellow Winnipegger was able to get Hooky's T-shirt. I bet that it was more than a little sweaty!!
(Although I am now in Vancouver, I spent most of my life in Winnipeg). The chilly Chicago weather certainly reminded me of Winnipeg.
Any other Winnipeggers/Canadians at the show?
David Pukin wrote: I didn't get a chance to download it, and now both torrents are not working :/.
they should be up now.. i've been linked to it for most of yesterday and today, and it seems to be working fine..
i need to LISTEN to it, though.. at the moment, i am lost to the wonderful memories.. :)
Ok thanks. I wasn't at the show, but I am actually originally from Winnipeg-my brothers and I like to call it "The City That Never Wakes Up" haha. Anyways, I will be going there for May long weekend to get my drivers photo id renewed. I will also be going to chicago, but at the end of June. Chicago is a great city :)
drugrep wrote:
Spotnik - Thank you so much, I look foward to your email when you get back home.
It's a bit blurry though, so it sucks big time, I'm sorry for this, I had trouble with my camera all night. It looked better on the lcd than it does now... 
Robert Roy wrote: Hey it's great to see that a fellow Winnipegger was able to get Hooky's T-shirt. I bet that it was more than a little sweaty!!
(Although I am now in Vancouver, I spent most of my life in Winnipeg). The chilly Chicago weather certainly reminded me of Winnipeg.
Any other Winnipeggers/Canadians at the show?
Well... eh, me?
Eh, Spotnick, of course you too... sorry to leave you out!! (I was going to add to my original post, "asides from our kind site administrator" - guess i should have).
:)
Eh, Spotnick, is there anything we can do to convince the band to return to North America in the fall? maybe start a web-petition or something?
I thought with your connections to the band, you might have some advice or insight as to how we might help make a return to North America happen!!
I was thinking of hiring them to play my wedding reception... I wonder how much they would charge??? 
Problem is Robert, the only one you have to convince is Bernard... he's the one not willing to take time off out of his family.
Which is normal, he has 2 young kids.
Let's hope for next year, but if it doesn't help the WFTSC sales to tour this year, who knows what will happen...
Spotnick, is there any particular reason why New Order hasn't been able to play Toronto since '93? I am just curious, I am not sure if you know or not. I have only been a fan since 2001, but I also noticed they played many Area One dates in 2001 except the Toronto one I know they weren't at that. New Order is really the only band I would have gone to see, so I didn't end up going to that.
I don't think there's much left to say that hasn't been said already, but I thought I'd say it anyway. :)
I've been waiting over 20 years to see this band -- the last time they were nearby, I had tickets to see them in Chicago on the Republic tour and my car killed itself (I almost followed its lead :-) ).
I expected the show to be a spiritual experience, however, I was completely unprepared for how truly GREAT it was going to be. Based on live CDs and DVDs I wasn't prepared for how truly good they would sound and look live -- I'm not sure if this is because the band doesn't translate well to tape or if they were just exceptionally ON that night, but the show was nothing short of amazing.
I can die a happy happy man. :)
I could die happier if I could get in to download the .mp3 bootleg, but I'll settle for happy happy. :D
David Pukin wrote: Spotnick, is there any particular reason why New Order hasn't been able to play Toronto since '93? I am just curious, I am not sure if you know or not. I have only been a fan since 2001, but I also noticed they played many Area One dates in 2001 except the Toronto one I know they weren't at that. New Order is really the only band I would have gone to see, so I didn't end up going to that.
Area:One didn't get New Order at all in the east, Montreal got cancelled as well for poor ticket sales.
Reason? there's not really, they are just not much into doing gigs lately... but trust me, I told their manager that the 2 most requested cities are Toronto and Dallas on the website... maybe this bit of information will stick 
Christian Ferris wrote:
I could die happier if I could get in to download the .mp3 bootleg, but I'll settle for happy happy. :D
- Xian
Check a few pages back, you'll find the link... it works, I just downloaded it!
The concert was amazing! I didn't get to meet any NOOLers, but that's because I hardly post on this place.
Looking back on the after party pictures I now remember seeing Spotnick, Aaron(on the redline platform) and some others who's names I don't know. I was front row, way on the right side, right in front of Hooky at times. Love Vigilantes, Transmission & Your Silent Face were my personal favorites.
Somehow I believe seeing them just once was enough, it was too special of a night that to even try to reconstruct it would be a crime.
TruFthMorningSun wrote: the download link still isn't working for me! it always says the site is full! :(
you're not alone, i can't get a dimeadozen login either. as far as I can tell you just have to keep trying. if you look at their home site it looks like they are adding and deleting about 100 users a day. hope we get in soon!
Spotnick wrote:
Area:One didn't get New Order at all in the east, Montreal got cancelled as well for poor ticket sales.
Reason? there's not really, they are just not much into doing gigs lately... but trust me, I told their manager that the 2 most requested cities are Toronto and Dallas on the website... maybe this bit of information will stick
Well let's hope that the album sells well enough to warrant at least some Canadian tour dates (perhaps Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal)
Those who can't download it, email me I'll send you the .torrent file (I hope that does work)...
Not that good with torrent technology yet, so I don't know if you can pass the .torrent to anyone like that.
yay! i found a friend with an account there. now i just need to figure out what to do with a torrent file...
got it to work.
I have the file, I would be glad to do a file transfer to people. In Microsoft Messenger, add coreyg@ameritech.net to your buddy list and let's see if I can handle all the requests. (Broadband users only please)
The file is over 600 Meg. To listen to it, you need a free plug-in for WinAmp, or something that can play FLAC file format.
If I am asked to stop distributing it, I will. Not wanting to get into trouble.
Post below couldn't add me, so I have editied my Messenger name. Try using the email address, however, that is a very old email address so don't send me an email there. That's just what I used back in the day to create my Messenger name of Depeche_Fan.
