New Order in Concert....Everything is In Order

Being a huge fan of new wave, punk, electronica and indie rock, when I accidentally stumbled across the fact earlier this year that New Order was going to perform at Radio City Music Hall, I of course hyperventilated a few minutes straight at a stop light, then pulled myself together, and walked with a calm that one can technically only achieve via yoga, to the Box Office and breathed a sigh of relief that tickets were not yet sold out.  I repeat Not Yet.

Since then, I counted down the months, then weeks, then days to Thursday, Apr 13th.  I prayed that nobody at New Order would catch a cold and call in sick.  Thankfully, the show was on, and SOLD OUT.

Nothing beats being around people who have a love and appreciation for these music genres I just described above.  I mean, it's like I could just be myself, and not ashamed that I absolutely adore them.

The doors opened at 7:30am, with the show scheduled to start at 8pm.  Of course, I knew this meant New Order would take the stage at least 1hr later.  Between 8 to 9pm, a DJ played some 1980s songs.  Very loud.  I could feel a headache and ear pain coming along.  So to try to remedy this, I took some foamy earplugs (courtesy of Lufthansa) and popped them in my ears.  It didn't really reduce the sound much, but at least it had some impact.

9pm - The show started.  And it was quite a show.  The music was some from their latest album, but what really excited the crowd (and myself) was when they played this 1983 hit - "Blue Monday."  I saw a couple not far from me, getting very lovey dovey (must have been their 1st date song).  Anyway, almost everyone was on their feet at that point, and swaying and dancing.  I tried to record the song without moving my body, but that was nearly impossible....not with this beat.

Another pleasant and unexpected surprise was when Bernard Sumner announced they would play a song they'd never played in New York before.  I held my breath, because I thought, maybe, just maybe they would play my personal old-time favorite called "Vanishing Point."  But no, it was not meant to be.  I was not disappointed though for they played something so deep, dark and moving called "Decades."  I later researched this....it was a song that had been written by former band member, Ian Curtis (before he had committed suicide in May 1980).  New Order was paying tribute to him, and I found the song very moving and so intense.

A few other more upbeat songs were played, including old time "Bizarre Love Triangle."  Show ended around 10:50pm.  A wonderful, exciting, and nostalgic evening.  Would love to post the videos; unfortunately this blog site only allows up to 100MB uploads.  So, will have to find a reputable software to do some cutting and editing beforehand before uploading.  Stay tuned.

Fans streaming out after the show.....