Review I wrote for one of my favorite acts of all time xx
New Order
Donnertag 15, 2001
Columbiahalle, Berlin
Let us divide up some Joy and fill our lungs and eyes
with pink air.
Mr Pink Smoke Machine Eyes.
Lift our bodies, stretch our torsos up and thrust our
pelvises, body rolls, swaying hips, shaky shaky heads.
Let us divide up some MORE joy and sing sing sing
along with dancing Bernard Sumner. He knows how to
make us dance because he's been a dancer all these
years. One arm and leg, pointing out. He jumps along
to his own chorus on stage. It doesn't feel like a
barrier band, it feels like someone holding our hand.
"Dance dance dance dance dance to the radio"
Dance dance dance dance dance to the New Order
Old geezers, rock, purple and pink sprayed with
synthesizers as backdrop. New Order rock. Bernard is
sweet, girly, charming, naff, wunderbah. He says
"thank you" after every song and he whistles, leaps,
and yells "come on"
And we do
Come...
On and on and on
It opens with a crazy old coot throwing a pineapple
into the audience. He introduces the band as Joy
Division. 3 femme German boys give them the finger.
They are smiling through their yellow teeth. Cigarette
smoke masking their love for Joy. So begins "Crystal"
and Berlin kids start to jump..along with some English
yobs and one Australian go go go go girl. White boot
princess dances with Berlin love goth(ess)..she smiles
her black smile...sweat startling the studs round her
neck. "We're like crystal...yeah"
Sparkling
And every song is a storm of sound. The rock or the
synth songs, the guitar or the bells...the hand
claps, the ooh ooh oohs...
The sound storm engulfs and spirits the crowd. It is
big and it is beautiful. There is nothing OLD about
this at all. The band are laughing, dancing. And every
song introduces a new scream, smile, standing strut,
sigh from us.
"Temptation"....Lights go green and the drums almost
shatter our bones apart as our hips whipcrack along to
the beat. It's fast and full and frisky...and the "ooh
ooh ooh ooh"s keep coming from the crowd after the
song has finished. We want to sing with you.
They dedicate Joy Division's "Atmosphere" to Ian
Curtis (RIP) and treat us with "Transmission" (too
wild!) and "Love will tear us apart" from the same
band. It's awesome. Like spreading open your heart and
gobbling all the old dance moves up..when you were
young and foolish. Happy. The gay boys are squealing
in my foreground, the goth girls are humping my side
swipes...it's all for closing your eyes and screaming
"YES!"
Yes
And "True Faith" and "Touched by the Hand of God" and
"Bizare Love Triangle" ignites the crowd. They lose
all order. Old and new.
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance
Everyone.
And when they play "Regret" with all that sorrow in
the keyboards..I am smiling louder than the brush of
it. It soothes and it smooths...one of their finest
moments.
Bernard tries to pass off "Your Silent Face" as
Bavarian...almost pulls it of, the cheeky bugger. It's
romantic. He plays the melodica sweet and soft. We
float, touch, fondle, fly.
But "60 mph" speeds us back into motion, disjointed,
cracking, rock, crazyass, get us up and up and
up...it's the beat and the guitar from a newer age,
and a brisk brave groove. I want to dance with this
sound. Guitars that dance and shout. Bernard poncing
about.
Lay about in it.
They love Berlin. They swear and fuss and flirt. A few
jokes about Manchester, Football..Bernard almost makes
love to the bass at one point. But then he denies
it...
Encore. "Blue Monday" It's the right finale. It's all
hooks and POWs and pounding bass and drums at your
feet and at your heart. It's the epic, the classic
,the star. We danced for all of it and beyond. And
Bernard danced too, in love. Tonight, it sounds like a
million souls are singing every slide, swirl, bang,
clap, word. It's the song that slips us all into the
higher air.
"I was upset you see, almost all the time
You used to be a stranger, now you are mine"
Anna Copa Cabanna