Reading 1993

Been meaning to get this one off my chest for a while: someone somewhere said this show was "like a funeral" (or somesuch) recently. Well, I wouldn't go quite that far, but there was certainly a weird atmosphere on the day. There was a small but vocal minority of fans letting the band know exactly what they thought of them, ie: lots of "Sell-out bastards!!" etc, etc. There were several fights near me because of this. Indeed, one really obnoxious bloke was yelling all sorts of stuff, and despite being told to shut the fuck up, he carried on regardless. Until, that is, this HUGE Irish fella wades in:

"Look, just fucking SHUT UP!"

{Pause}

"FUCKIN' SELL OUT!!!!"

The result: CRACK. Irish fella biffs him right on the snout. Blood everywhere. Chap gets dragged out, and said Irish fella gets about 10,000 offers of a drink (if you're reading this, the offer still stands).

Anyway, my take on this gig was that the atmosphere was one of defiance, as in "Well, the new album's a bit dodgy, they've signed to a major, we're not sure if their hearts are in it anymore, but fuck it, we are the Barney Army and we love 'em anyway". Or something like that. Like I say, defiant rather than celebratory. And VERY tribal, as ever.

I guess you can say this about all gigs, but for me the Order is as much about the audience as the band. So, Reading 98 was great 'cos-most-of-us-assumed-it-was-all- over-and-yet-here-they-are-playing-the-set-of-their-lives-OhmyGod. But what I remember most is the way the place became the All-Singing, All-dancing Church of New Order for 75 minutes. Best crowd I've ever been part of. I got that carried away that when they played "Confusion" I laughed and sang and danced straight through it. And it's the biggest pile of tripe they're ever released (apart from "Shellshock", obviously). And everyone else was doing the same. Absolute fucking madness.

Best audience in the world, despite the fact that most of us are old enough to know better? What do you reckon?

M.

Best audience in the world BECAUSE we're old enough to know better!!!

Wasn't at Reading 93 but not sure why folk would shout 'sell out'. So what if they signed to a major? It wasn't as if it was Sony and what were they supposed to do once Factory went bankrupt? I take it the weird atmosphere was probably due to most folk thinking that it was gonna be their last gig.

You're right about Reading 98. Fantastic audience and gig. First time I had ever seen them live and from the moment that Barney shouts "Let's rock the fucking house" right up to er, World in Motion it rocked big style. It was like being at a football gig what with all the "New Order New Order" chants. I probably enjoyed it even more after suffering through Shed Seven and The Bluetones.(although 'If' is one of my favourite songs of all time - bet I get some abuse for that!).

I've got about 30 photos from Reading '93... it was the end of New Order until very recently wasn't it? - a very sad old gig. Didn't they only play for about 20 mins. and do an absolutely abhorent version of 'World, The Price of Eggs' in which Mr. Hooky decided to play the wrong note throughout the entire song even admitting to the audience it was the wrong note and to bear with them?

I MUST HAVE HAVE HAD ME CLOTH EARS ON THAT DAY.I THOUGHT, A FINE TIME WAS HAD BY ALL.I DO RECALL A CRUSTY BLOWING HIS NOSE WITH HIS DREADLOCKS, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS ONE UP ON THE MISSION FANS OF THE PREVIOUS READING N.O. SHOW.

I remember thinking they obviosly did'nt want to do it. I think they had been signed up before they fell out and got sick of each other so it was a contractual thing. I remember thinking too that this would probably be the last time i'd get to see them and I did'nt enjoy it at all.

Top gig Ian, just a bit sad 'cause we all knew they were literally on their last legs. Monumental Regret rendition if memory serves me correct. They were practising it on the morning of the show and the riff at the beginning could be heard all over the fucking fields with Barney going 'One, one, one, one, one, one' over the top for about 1 hour!!!! (no wonder he hated playing live)

Sorry about that... anyway, same sentiments as what Muff wrote.

every time i saw NO play it was fooking brilliant. performing, audience, magical moments, there is always something extraordinary happening. That is how i recall those gigs, also Reading 93.

Mario

my life ain't no holliday

New Order being signed to a major might not seem like a big deal now, and even those of us whose hearts sank into our little boots at the time have probably got over it, but it WAS a big deal at the time. The boys and girls said they'd never do it. Just couldn't. No, not ever. And they did.

Like getting dumped for the first time, quite frankly. But hey, I'm over it now.....

M.

I'm not.

and you are right. we are the best and most devoted fans on this poor planet. Is there anything else in life besides New Order , football and consuming lots of lager? Beats me

Mario

Ajax Amsterdam rules

No, alright, I'm not either. But life goes on, eh?? (So they reckon, the bastards).

Jarvo, your dedication to the cause makes my heart well up with pride, but you're sounding a little jaded. Are you sure those continental gigs are a good idea? And I only found out about the 98 Apollo show after the event, so Reading was the mother of all comebacks for me. Made bloody sure I was at the Olympia this time, though.

And just why do NO have such a laddish following (though this seems to be altering slowly but surely)? Even Peter "Huge Willy" Hook doesn't like football. So, what gives??

M.

For me you will never beat the early days, 81-84, the shows were full of energy and even anger. You did'nt know from one night to the next what you were gonna get or even whether they would sound any good but there was an electricity about it all that just made it so exciting and unmissable. I was never really bothered about the major label thing but nowadays i'd dearly love to see them get back to the no singles off albums mentality, it just seemed to work better that way, there was more mystery surrounding the whole thing.

still don't understand the big deal about New Order on a major label. As far I can see, they still have complete control but with better (or more expensive) marketing. Anyway like Neil Tennant said in Neworderstory, better that they signed to London than Sony.

Obviously not as perfect as being on Factory but any decline in music is not down to thechange of record label IMO.

Zico, mate, I think most people will point you towards "Republic", its hyper-slick, glossy production, the way that Hooky was clearly told to piss off down the pub after he'd finished "Regret", the FOUR bleedin' singles (I though this was going to be "BAD" all over again), the subsequent crappy remixes and re-releases. Most people will then ask you again if nowt changed between Factory and London.

Sad but true.

M.

I'm another who didn't hear the "sell out" stuff and can't understand why the accusation was levelled. There was no "Factory" so what were they supposed to do? The band themselves have admitted that Republic wasn't a good time for them, and it showed, that said, there are some corking tunes on it though it does slip a littles too easily down the lugholes.

Originally posted by Huntsman Top gig Ian, just a bit sad 'cause we all knew they were literally on their last legs. Monumental Regret rendition if memory serves me correct. They were practising it on the morning of the show and the riff at the beginning could be heard all over the fucking fields with Barney going 'One, one, one, one, one, one' over the top for about 1 hour!!!! (no wonder he hated playing live)

I kipped in my car on a hill above the venue had no idea it was actually Barney making that racket, I had actually forgotten until you mentioned it.

Originally posted by Allen Jarvis Think we've got the best fans in the world because we don't come across as fanatics - although we may do to outsiders. And there's a common bond in that New order audience are male dominated, football loving and lager loving; let's face it, very easy topics to bond on.

oops, am I a true NO fan ?

I'm not into beer (rather wine or other alcohols) and I'm not into football...

I can't remember the cries of "Sell out" at Reading 93, but I was a bit disappointed at the end of Factory.

Al alluded to this in a post to Ceremony, saying that all along they were just normal blokes and there was no deep mystery to it all. I suppose the fact that you didn't know what to expect at gigs (Hooky hitting someone with his bass at Slough for example), singles were not generally on albums (and you had to really search for them), the whole sleeve design and FAC numbers thing, low key interviews, etc.... all made them different to the rest of the stuff around.

Early gigs are still the best for me, but is that just time making them seem more memorable? The fact that they would trial songs and you would hear them evolve long before being recorded seemed a real privilege, and it seems bizarre now that I can go and see a (for want of a better expression) stadium rock band like REM do this and yet New Order don't.

The footy thing - yep, I agree - I also think it's a somewhat sad male trait (that I am certainly afflicted with) that inspires this collector mentality. I think I read somewhere once that this is not a part of the female psyche - which is probably better for women as they can let things go.

I suppose in some respects this is a rambling post to sum up my disappointment at seeing the same set (with virtually the same intros to songs) two nights running. I hope for those going to Paris it doesn't happen there (while being secretly jealous if they get a blindingly different set!!)