Tuesday, 31 July 2001

It was a pleasure to see New Order live - hopefully this will not be the last time!

POP MUSIC REVIEW Electronica Plugs In at Area: One Pioneers New Order (with Billy Corgan) and Moby stand out in an eclectic lineup.

By STEVE BALTIN, Special to The Times

 Being a relatively young genre without a strong sense of history, electronic music is often about the new kid on the block. But at Sunday's Area: One concert at Glen Helen Blockbuster Pavilion, two of the genre's pioneers dominated the day. 
 Accompanied by Smashing Pumpkins founder Billy Corgan on guitar, '80s synth stars New Order made a rousing comeback that showcased all eras of the band's 25-year history (dating to its days as Joy Division). 
 Corgan played the reluctant superstar for the group, at one point acknowledging the devotion of the fans in the front pit by touching the brim of his hat, then putting his hand to his heart. 
 But immediately afterward, he pulled his floppy hat down over his eyes. New Order frontman Bernard Sumner, who danced around the stage like a teenager, made light of the situation, turning to Corgan halfway through the set and asking him, "Billy, what's up with these girls in the front?" 
 In drawing on such favorites as "Bizarre Love Triangle," the Joy Division classic "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and "Blue Monday," the English group made sure the music was not overshadowed. While the musicianship was surprisingly tight, there were a couple of misfires, particularly during the drawn-out closing of "Crystal," the first single from the band's forthcoming disc, "Get Ready." 
 But it was another new track, "Turn My Way," that provided the set's highlight. A duet between Corgan and Sumner, the compelling look at a man trying to get back to his more daring youth is one of the year's finest tracks. And the way the vocals between the two nearly blended into one voice live only added to the song's beauty. 
 The other benchmark set Sunday was a bit of a surprise, despite the fact that it came from dance world superstar and tour organizer Moby. 
 When he played the Greek Theatre last year, his show lacked the acknowledgment of his techno roots that characterized his pre-pop star days. 
 With the songs from "Play" saturating the market and Moby himself making as many magazine appearances as a Calvin Klein ad, one had to wonder if maybe he had lost his edge. 
 If so, he regained it on this tour. 
 In front of about 10,000 fans, Moby came onstage in an Area: One shirt to the gorgeous strains of "Hymn," the instrumental that kicks off his landmark 1995 album, "Everything Is Wrong." He reached out to his longtime fans early in the set, launching into his early '90s club anthem "Go" just two songs in. 
 He had no problem keeping up with the frenetic tempo of the song either: Amid a manic light show, he ran and jumped around the stage like David Lee Roth or Mick Jagger. 
 His set list was equally impressive, including all of the hits from "Play," such as the sexy "Honey" and "South Side," as well as a mini-rave built around the techno songs he wrote when he first started making records. 
 As outstanding as his performance was, it was clear that Moby's proudest role at Blockbuster was as tour organizer. Late in the show, before being joined onstage by New Order for a superb rendition of Joy Division's "New Dawn Fades," Moby spoke about how the tour had proved a lot of music industry people wrong by showing you could provide a bill that didn't just have one style of music. 
 On this day he was right. Outkast used tight choreography and even tighter beats, at a variety of tempos, to duplicate the success of its acclaimed "Stankonia" album. French quintet Rinocerose filled the spacious venue with its guitar-heavy blend of electro-rock. 
 The hip-hop group the Roots delighted the crowd with an array of styles, from jazz to ska to even a little dos-i-do, and really got things going with DJ Scratch, a human beat-box whose vocal simulations of scratching were an awesome exhibition of turntablism. 
 Meanwhile, in the dance tent, DJs Paul Oakenfold and Timo Maas had ravers dancing to the point of exhaustion with explosive trance builds and house-meets-trance grooves, respectively. 
 One of show's most effective traits, though, was that it didn't try to be a rave. The dance tent had all the stimulants of a club, with laser lights, video screens and raised platforms for dancers, but vendors and carnival rides didn't dominate the surrounding area; it was simply about the music. 
 The challenge for Moby will be to keep that integrity and eclecticism next summer and beyond. For this summer, though, he had reason to be proud. 

Copyright 2001 Los Angeles Times

Hello,

I just saw them play at Shoreline in Mountain View (near San Francisco / San Jose), California tonight. Wow, what a rush! I thought after missing their 1993 tour I would never get to see them play live in the US. It was great!

Their set list was very similar to Fuji's, but no Love Vigilantes and no Ruined in a Day. The set seemed quick -- no encore. Gillian wasn't there -- is she on the tour? Billy Corgan played backup guitar for the entire set. There was also a guy playing keyboards and guitars, presumably in Gillian's slot.

At one point Bernard got pissed with the smoke/fog machines and cursed, then later apologized. He also muttered something about a guy in the audience and said something to the audience about the guy in the audience's dick being big like his (Bernard's).

New Order was 3rd in the lineup of 5 bands at Shoreline's Area:1 Concert. First was Rinocerose, then the Roots, then New Order, then Outkast, and lastly Moby. There was also a large tent with guest DJs but I didn't see that. Outkast seemed to be the most popular with the crowd.

They put on a good show. I like Crystal much better live that what I've heard on the net. In terms of sound quality, they were in between sounding like the BBC1 concert CD from 1987 and the 1993 Reading Festival CD which is in heavy rotation in my car player.

Regards,

Daniel dcc@mac.com NO fan since '88

New Order put on a tremendous show. They took the stage about 6:45pm, too early for many of the people coming from work, so the seating area wasn't completely packed, but it filled as the show progressed with more and more people dancing and getting into the music. There appeared to be a couple of tech problems with Hooky's gear early, but NO was on fire after that. There was even a smoke machine that kept blowing in front of Barney. It got too him and he asked them to turn it off and then warned us all in a mocking way about the dangers of smoking, only to apologize later. One of the most striking things appeared to be how much fun the band was having. My friend at the show picked it out right away. Both Hooky and Billy Corgan took turns pointing to the crowd and getting them up. Barney was very active, leaping several times during one early song and letting loose with several Whoo!'s and whistles. Hooky, not to be outdone, climbed along a stair well up into the crowd during one song and later lost a drum stick in his enthusiasm. He looked to be in great shape, very fit compared to when I saw him on Monaco's Music for Pleasure tour in Chicago. Stephen was quiet throughout the show and appeared very intent upon his playing.

Billy Corgan was otherwise very quiet and Hooky came over to borrow his microphone and sing along with Barney (at the end of True Faith or LWTUA - I think). It was a very funny moment. Phil Cunnigham was also quiet throughout the show with Barney coming over to "help" him play the end note of Blue Monday. Turn My Way was the highlight of the new material followed by 60mph. The biggest surprise of the night had to be how much I enjoyed Touched By the Hand of God. A much different energy and sound that recordings of it don't seem to capture. I think I now understand why I see it on so many of their concert listings.

Barney changed a couple of lyrics, but the only one I could make out clearly was in True Faith. "When I was a very small boy, very small boys talked to me. Now that we've grown up together, they all do drugs with me." There is some type of air driven synth that they use on Your Silent Face and Barney absolutley nailed all the notes, turning in a cleaner rendition than what is on the album.

I can't give you a definitive set order, except that Atmosphere and then Regret started the show with Crystal 3rd.

Atmosphere Regret Crystal (played much LOUDER than all the other songs) Love Vigilantes Isolation Turn My Way Love Will Tear us Apart True Faith Bizarre Love Triangle Touched by the Hand of God (never liked the recordings of this song, but great in concert) Temptation 60mph Your Silent Face Blue Monday

I only recall the three tracks from Get Ready, but that doesn't seem right. Sorry for the lack of better recall, but I was too busy dancing and just basking in the sound. There was no encore. As soon as they left the stage, the techies came out.

Jason.

so yesterday i finally got to see new order live after a 16 year wait. it was their first US gig in 8 years, in mountain view, about 30 miles south of san francisco.

although they performed before outkast and moby on the main stage, it was evident that half the crowd of 30,000 was there mainly for new order (the other half was there to hear paul oakenfold spin in the DJ tent).

as the sun was setting around 6:45, they sauntered onstage to rapturous applause. bernard and hooky both stepped to the mic to thank the crowd, announcing how happy they were to be back in the states. they then announced the first song "by our old band joy division"...

1. atmosphere majestic. with 2 guitars plus the synths, it sounded really full. bernard kept doing this hopping dance (he did it the entire time they were onstage) and letting out these joyous little yelps between verses. he was positively gleeful.

2. regret new order's biggest stateside single. the whole audience sang along, cheering when the first guitar chords rang out.

3. crystal this had a really beautiful piano intro that's apparently from one of the upcoming remixes. the song sort of builds to a wall of noise and went on a bit too long (for me). corgan got a bit animated during this one. for most of the show he kept a low profile, wearing all black and a hat pulled low over his eyes, but it's evident he enjoys playing this song.

4. love will tear us apart transposed down a couple of keys for some reason, so it didn't sound quite right. corgan yelped during this one, and the entire crowd was singing along. as the band just flown in from a concert in japan, they were jetlagged. after the song bernard apologized to the audience saying he knows they could play it better than they did. hooky kept kidding around with him, tossing little jabs his way.

5. your silent face ahhhhhhh...new order's homage to kraftwerk. it had added synth and guitar lines, plus bernard playing his melodica - the sound wholly engulfed the area. i started crying during this one...i never thought i'd get to hear them play it live.

6. turn my way this is the one from the forthcoming album that billy corgan duets on. it sounded better live than the recorded version, with billy and bernard teasing each other back and forth before and during the song.

7. bizarre love triangle bernard announced it beforehand and the crowd roared. he actually annouced every song before they played them - he was really chatty. anyway, this was the remixed version of the song as it appears on substance.

8. touched by the hand of god reworked for the better. it's extended with an updated sound. hooky played a bass solo in it! he stalked the stage and struck a lot of rock star poses, which you could tell he was doing with a wink and a nudge.

9. true faith again the audience erupted. this has been reworked as well, based around a remix paul oaklenfold did in '94. it soounds a bit weaker than the original, but still gives me chills.

10. temptation for this (and later blue monday) they went back to the original recordings and built the sequenced tracks around samples...so they had this really electro analogue sound somewhere between the orignal 7" and dave clarke's remix of "everything's gone green". the whole crowd was pogoing and singing along.

11. 60 MPH also from the new album. this sounds WAY better live than the recorded version - a definate contender for a single. the whole band was into it and hooky was singing harmonies (!) the crowd got really into this, even not knowing the song.

12. blue monday it actually had the vocoder parts in it, plus samples from the original, plus hooky playing his drum pads, plus billy corgan adding extra guitar parts and dancing. this song was responsible for a lot of the other DJ and electronic acts who played during the course of the day. it just built and built, and ended with everyone's guitar feeding back and the sequencer left running. bernard thanked the audience again promising they were "back to stay this time" and the crowd kept cheering for an encore.

an hour-long set, and worth the wait. it was getting their greatest hits in a tight package. they sounded good, they looked well, they behaved . someone mentioned bernard's comments to arthur baker, who was in the audience. he commented about baker having a big dick..."just like me"! he also bitched about the smoke machine "they proved cigarettes are bad for your health, you know!". it *was* a bit much - it was right in his face and so thick you couldn't even see him onstage - and this is before the sun had fully set, so it's not like they needed the fog for the lighting yet.

i bought one of their t-shirts, which sold out quickly. it's athletic grey with the cover art for "getready" on the front and "new order - get ready" across the back.

--ed boland

Moby's tour clicks with fans at Shoreline

BY TONY HICKS Contra Costa Times

At face value, it would seem that Moby's touring Area: One show -- a seven-hour celebration of hip-hop and electronic music -- wouldn't survive the road for long, if only because no one has ever tried anything so grandiose with what amounts to a touring rave.

It's not like another Lollapalooza, which blended genres but still was supported by big-name rock acts.

Then again, who would have thought that someone like Moby -- essentially an electronic composer who excels at writing grand six- to eight-minute thumping instrumentals -- would be able to bring many thousands to their feet for 90 minutes on any given night?

Moby seems to know something the rest of us might not: There's a demographic of 18- to 32-year-olds out there truly into the idea of real alternative music.

The bands Moby brought to the Shoreline Amphitheatre on Tuesday were edgy and (mostly) good live. There were experimental hip-hop (the Roots), melodious electronics (New Order, featuring new touring guitarist Billy Corgan, formerly of Smashing Pumpkins) and a straight flame-throwing crowd pleaser (OutKast), along with a tentful of top-notch DJs.

After a repetitive and pointless set by guitar-and-beats opener Rinocerose, the Roots were superb, applying vocals, electric piano, bass, guitar and steamrollering drums to a raw mix of hip-hop beats and jazz-inspired backgrounds. Songs such as ``The Next Movement' were powerful. They also were a bit hard to follow. But that's OK. Part of this tour's aim is to expand horizons.

Still, it was New Order who emptied the DJ tent. The band, largely invisible over the past decade, sounded fresh and grabbed attention from the start, and only partly because Corgan was onstage.

New Order unleashed an inspired parade of its '80s hits -- Blue Monday,' Bizarre Love Triangle,' True Faith,' and Love Will Tear Us Apart' from its days as Joy Division -- and looked to be having so much fun (with singer Bernard Sumner bouncily imitating an aerobics instructor) that one had to wonder why it has taken this band so long to come back.

Then came OutKast, like a force of hip-hop nature born from the spirit of P-Funk. Leader Andre was wrapped in some sort of one piece, bright blue circus outfit under a blond mop -- keeping him visible at all times among the up-to-a-dozen people who were all on stage at once.

Things worked remarkably well for such a big production -- which peaked with Miss Jackson,' Rosa Parks' and the rapid-fire ``Bombs Over Baghdad,' which just about laid waste to the stage -- and OutKast clearly received the biggest crowd reaction.

Indeed, Moby should have slotted himself before OutKast, because afterward he barely had a chance. Oh, he tried, all right -- the guy is a hyperactive blur onstage: He plays piano, congas and guitar, orchestrates a fantastic laser and light show, and says all the right things, bringing to the proceedings a dry humor worthy of an expert cocktail party host. He even brought a fan up to the stage to enjoy the thrill of playing power chords in front of thousands.

Hits like Bodyrock' and Southside' didn't necessarily suffer from the sci-fi show surrounding them. But the whole thing was a bit disorienting at times, and it was Moby's set that made it clear that there is still some question whether a big-venue, onstage rave can work without a dance floor. That's the question Moby will have to tackle before embarking on Area: Two.