It’s a good few years since the Pet Shop Boys have played Glasgow (early 90s even I think), although they did get quite close with what I hear was a pretty awesome show in a tent at TITP ’09 (or was it ’08?)
The “mixed” crowd were partially warmed up by Bad Lieutenant (see separate review) but by the bemused faces many of them clearly had never heard ‘Temptation’ or ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’, or perhaps they were pretending not to after Bernard’s dancing (he’s 54 you know).
Taking to the stage in a large but not the largest configuration of the glorified shed that is the SECC (I swear I can still smell the elephants) Neil, Chris and 2 dancers were wearing boxes upon their heads. There then followed around 2 hours of what I’d say was the best show (as in show SHOW) I’ve seen in years, possibly ever. Never completely OTT, the attention to detail, the staging, the visuals, the pacing, the dancing (even Chris did some), the vocals, all just absolutely spot on. A set which encompassed large amounts of the most recent album (Yes), interspersed with hits (‘It’s a Sin’ and ‘Left to my Own Devices’ were particular highlights for me), covers (the obligatory ‘Go West’ was dispatched fairly early on at the appropriate level of ridiculousness, but ‘My Girl’ by Madness anyone?), splices (their ‘Domino Dancing’ vs ‘Viva La Vida’, both sounded better as a result) and a duet with the dead (only the PSB could make this classy, Dusty appearing via a videolink from the grave, as it were).
Neil handled vocal duties superbly, Chris the instrumentation, and for the SECC the mix was perfect (and you don’t get that too often). They delegated a lot of the dancing (and some backing vocals) to fitter (in both senses of the word), younger types, male and female. The opening set appeared to resemble an out-take from one of Floyd’s Wall shows (no not the cook you idiots, RIP Keith), until each brick became part of a huge TV screen until it was knocked down and rebuilt in different configurations to suit the song/dance moves etc. PSB have certainly got the best choroegraphers and set designers of any pop band I can think of, and it shows. A bit of a Gilbert and George theme going on, in fact (and you can correct me fact fans) G&G may have had a hand in the design.
The most recent numbers were solid enough and judging from crowd reaction up to the standard of some of the old classics. My only carp would be that possibly they could have shoehorned in a few more from the back catalogue (there was not enough from the ‘Very’ era for me) but Carpe Diem Nostro. (Latin, trans. you can’t have your carp and eat it)
All in all a top show from some of the best in the pop business.