TBA
Erasure
A busy day-- Hermosa Beach to catch Erik and Dawn for their friend Trevor's 30th birthday, then ran off to The Palladium afterwards for Erasure's Violet Flame tour.
Trevor and friends rented a surprisingly large (slept 12?) beach house in Hermosa for the weekend and had a good time slumming it on the beach, grilling tasty shrimp, salmon, and brats, and consuming copious amounts of alcohol. Finally drank the bottle of Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban I had laying around as well (quite good-- very fragrant, berries and a touch of port) as well-- good times!
Erasure at The Palladium was next. For a band that's decidedly getting up there in age, Andy and Vince are finally starting to age well. Took them a little while-- their tours for Nightbird, Union Street, Light at the End of the World, and Tomorrow's World revealed Andy was getting a little ragged at the edges, but this tour they finally seem to have realized that, and are back to playing to their strengths, changed though they might be over the past ten years!
Vince has been doing some songs lived, remixed for quite a bit more bass. Not sure how I entirely felt about it, but the other songs kept closer to the original versions were all quite good as usual, and hearing Reason from the latest album live was significantly better than the album itself. They dipped into a rare playing of Joan (from the Chorus album), and topped off with Star, Blue Savannah, and a surprisingly enthusiastic rendition of Breath of Life... so good! A Little Respect is always solid, as was the opener for the set, Oh L'amour.
Wrapping up with Chains of Love is always good, although some years the crowd is more into it (construction paper hearts and chains at previous tours!), and their late-90s stuff didn't get much love. Always made the encore and Sometimes finished it. Great way to end the night, although the hoped-for second encore got nuked pretty quickly when the venue hit the background music while the lights were still out. =(
Still, a great time!
Setlist:
Oh L'Amour
Star
Reason
Breath of Life
You Surround Me
Elevation
I Lose Myself
Drama!
Victim of Love
Ship of Fools
Sacred
Breathe
Joan
Blue Savannah
Chorus
Love to Hate You
A Little Respect
Chains of Love
Encore:
Always
Sometimes