Get your own
 diary at DiaryLand.com! contact me older entries newest entry


Previously...

Springtime For Someone
Tuesday, Mar. 20, 2018
Antlers
Monday, Dec. 18, 2017
Confessions Of A Pack Rat
Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017
More Threes
Thursday, Jun. 29, 2017
Bindyree's Threes
Tuesday, Apr. 11, 2017


This is my safe space

This is where I post, where I dream,
where I hurt, and where I recover.

Everybody who understands this
is welcome to stay.


Why is this here?


Extras, Fun Stuff &
Recommended Reading

42 Things About Me
Erasure Impostor Info
More Stuff About Me
I Love You
My Friday Five Archive
Friday Five v2.0
The Daily Meme
ACME Heartmaker
Citizen Redress
Maukie
Teddy Bears
Keane Concert Pics
Wikipedia
Paul Kidd on Kindle


I Can Hear The Ocean.

A proud member of
the Diaryland family
for over a tenth
of a century.


Follow me on Twitter!


Always go too far
because that's where
you'll find the truth.

Albert Camus


My First Tattoo


Mom

ERASURE -- March 21, 2003 - SF, CA

2003-03-22 - 11:14 a.m.

(originally posted to alt.music.erasure)

Well.

As most of you know, there are rent-a-mobs wreaking havoc on the downtown area of San Francisco. They were in full swing several blocks away from the venue, so, the approach was heralded by the sound of sirens, and the appearance of traffic blockade fencing.

My friend Brian and I were chauffeured to within three blocks of the event by my husband John, who is twelve years my senior and just wanted to go back home and watch a movie. Brian came with me because persistent but unsubstantiated rumors had it that the Andy Bell impersonator might show up, and John wanted somebody with me who would have a calming effect. Which John would not have had. :) So Brian was tapped.

We arrived at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium about fifteen minutes before the show began, (7:45 pm) and we were surprised at how easily we found our way to very nearly the front of the crowd. I purchased two program books, at twenty dollars apiece. They are large pages, on coated stock. Vivid, colorful, beautiful -- and for some reason, they remind me of a Denny's menu.

The stage was small, and yet not small. The stage backdrop had the appearance of a wallpapered room, with a picture frame in the middle of the center wall. From stage right to stage left, there were a door, a floor lamp with a tasseled shade, Vince's workstation and sound management system, two dainty wooden chairs, a guitar on a stand, a music stand, another chair, a sofa, several microphones in their stands, and the grammaphone on a small table.

The opening act was fun: The Cooler Kids. They featured a mix DJ, a pretty girl who sang while wearing nothing but underthings, and a dorky looking guy wearing sweats and a t shirt that said I'M THE DANCER. Their act was fun, and upbeat, and there were even samples of Erasure tunes in the mix. Their act went for about 45 minutes, and then the stage darkened, and the stage hands worked on the Erasure set, while through the speakers, an old radio episode of 'Suspense' played.

The crowd was fabulous. In all of my concertgoing experiences, I have never been around more nice-smelling men in my life. Everybody was pleasant. When anybody had to squeeze past, they excused themselves, and just generally I think the crowd was just glad to be someplace where they didn't have to look at images of sand.

The lights darkened dramatically, and Andy and Vince took the stage. Andy was wearing a full length black victorian riding habit, complete with bustle, and black top hat with a strap and a sparkly black veil across his face. Vince was wearing what looked to be a formal dinner outfit that seemed to be two sizes two large for him, and a top hat that nearly bent his ears down.

They both looked adorable.

The first song was 'Alien'. And the last song of the evening was 'Stop!'. In between, I don't have a clue what was sung or in what order.:) I mean I *recognized* everything, but it was seamless and brilliant and beautiful and before I knew it, it was over. I'm willing to guess it matched any or all of the other playlists that have been posted by the other US reviewers.

A couple of things: The picture frame turned out to be a plasma video screen, and upon it we saw the renderings of Tonya Hurley, and what looked to be Vince's film school homework. (There's a very cute dog on that screen at one point.) There was also a 'video fishtank' sequence, which I think took place during 'Chorus'. And the wallpaper used on the set? It changed according to how it was lit. Under regular incandescent lights, it was just plain old flowers and stuff like that, but under the black light, it changed into Fishes and Birds.

Andy gradually doffed his duds, a layer at a time, eventually treating us to some very nice scenery. He stripped down to a maroon colored corset and lace up skivvies, along with just below the knee boots. He's got a tiny little bit of a belly, but it's wonderful, and oh BOY are his legs in great shape. At one point, he stopped and took a very long drink of bottled water and finished the bottle in one long draught. His voice is in wonderful shape, there are no signs of the bronchitis that befell him last month, and he hit every high note he ever has since his career began.

There was a brief break, and the lads returned to the stage wearing what looked to be these sort of motocross / anime / rap star brightly patterned suits, with dark tank tops. At one point, FINALLY, Andy wandered over to stage right, where I had been standing, next to that sound tower, and I took his picture. He briefly stopped, smiled at me, winked, blew a kiss, and curtseyed. I took another snap. I know the man is a consummate showman, so I'm certain everybody in the first ten rows thinks the same thing: 'Andy looked at me tonight' -- but I have the photographic proof. And Brian is pretty sure that's who Andy was looking at as well.

We didn't stick around after the show. And the impersonator was nowhere in sight, which is a good thing for a multitude of reasons.

My feet are killing me. It was a grand performance.

Fingers crossed that the pictures turn out. :)

---

what you missed - what's next - leave a note
first post - cast page - diaryrings - top ten

about me - read my profile! read other Diar
yLand diaries! recommend my diary to a friend! Get
 your own fun + free diary at DiaryLand.com!


THE LEGAL STUFF: All content on this site that was created by me is copyright 2003-infinity by Brin Marie McLaughlin. Steal my stuff and I'll squash you like a bug. All incoming email or any other form of communication with me is subject to publication or other distribution by me in whole or in part at my sole discretion. This diary features the sole opinions and experiences of one person, namely me, the person who is paying for this space. In the interest of safety and accountability, no anonymous input will ever be allowed here, ever, for any reason in the entire history of ever. Whenever there is a comments section appearing in this diary, it's to be considered part of my paid presence on the web, and shall be used by my readership to supplement the things I have written here with relevant information in a polite manner. Comments that do not fall in that category are subject to deletion at my whim. Your visit to my diary along with your use of my comments section constitutes the understanding of this statement. Anything else on these pages including any comments belongs to whoever created it. All external links are current as of the date of the entry in which they are first featured, but at no other time. News excerpts used here are for educational purposes and are permitted under the Fair Use Doctrine. Hold hands when you cross the street, and play nice.