(a) setlist
- Singularity
- Ceremony
- Academic (live debut!)
- Crystal
- 5 8 6
- Tutti Frutti
- Restless
- Your Silent Face
- People On The High Line
- Bizarre Love Triangle
- Waiting For The Sirens’ Call
- Plastic
- The Perfect Kiss
- True Faith
- Temptation
Encore:
- Atmosphere (Joy Division cover)
- Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division cover)
(b) highlights
- basically the entire setlist
- new material sounding just as resonant and memorable as the classics
- Bernard Sumner wearing his own band’s shirt
- crying during “Crystal”
- seeing one of my all-time favorite bands ever for the second time
- Radio City Music Hall bathrooms = phenomenal
(c) lowlights
- Bernard made the crowd choose between hearing “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and “Blue Monday” cause the set ran over; everyone chose LWTUA, I wanted BM 😦
- they didn’t play my faaaaaavorite song off their newest incredible album Music Complete, “Superheated”
- the crowd was lame
(d) overall thoughts
I saw New Order for the first time at Lollapolooza in 2013 and their 2015 album Music Complete was one of my favorites of the whole year. I was psyched for this show. Musically, I wasn’t let down for the most part. My heart will never not implode upon hearing the first few notes of “Crystal” – a song whose music video forever immortalized my favorite band’s origin story. “Bizarre Love Triangle” will never not make me dance, “Ceremony” will never not make my heart race, and “True Faith” will never not transport me back to the summer of 2005 when I first really got into New Order. All Joy Division tracks live feel beautifully bittersweet live (though I always die a bit inside when those songs in particular are over-saturated with laser beams and flashing lights – is that an ironic homage to Ian Curtis??). Nobody could deny that newer tracks “Tutti Frutti” and “Restless” could remain setlist staples for the rest of the band’s career.
I was disappointed by the crowd, who was understandably older but confusingly refused to dance. Quit paying $$$ to sit down/stand still at concerts, people. Please stop. Would’ve love to hear the newer gem “Superheated” featuring The Killers’ Brandon Flowers and the classic “Blue Monday,” but curfews ruin everyone’s fun. The production and video graphics were top-notch, as always. New Order are truly unparalleled musicians in their ability to integrate visual art into their live performance. Would’ve been great to photograph from up-close, but I was further back in the orchestra.
Bottom line: The new material unarguably stands alongside the classics, Bernard Sumner feels like a teddy bear you want to hug, New Order should give their visual art designer a raise, and people need to start dancing more at shows.
Kat Goes To Shows 