Just as long as you break his heart and not mine: Pet Shop Boys live

Been taking a breather from blogging but I wanted to stop by and share some of the groovyness from Wednesday's Pet Shop Boys concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan.

Initially, I had resisted buying tickets to the show because I'd feared it would be nearly sold out and that I'd only find seats in the nosebleed section. But then I realized that it was at the Hammerstein and that the site had a general admission policy. So I got tickets.

I am so glad I did! The boyfriend and I found ourselves about eight feet from the stage and got a very intimate look at the show. Even better, I got to share the experience with one of my favorite bloggers out there, Joe Jervis who we bumped into (he blogs at Joe.My.God).

That's me looking up in the black t-shirt and Joe behind me with the grey an yellow 'Brooklyn' t-shirt (don't mind me. I was watching some stage technician butt).

It was the first time I saw the Pet Shop Boys live and I was thrilled. It's incredible to think of all the material they have out there and easy to appreciate how hard it must be to select which songs to play - and how to please the fans who want to hear a specific song or another.

I, for one, loved the show. I had already read some preliminary reviews of this year's tour from fans in Europe panning the staging of the show. I, on the other hand, rather enjoyed the basic lego block look to the dozens of bricks that were used as background and I didn't mind that you could see all the strings attached to them. Or the stage technicians pulling those strings.

Instead, as I have done in recent concerts, I found myself feeling a bit detached from the experience and feeling as if I was observing it from afar. Part of the disconnect was due, perhaps, to the fact I was trying to film some songs on my digital camera to share on YouTube.

Even as I filmed, I found myself trying not to look too much through the viewfinder and trying to look directly at the stage and the performers. On the other hand, I am glad I captured some of the songs on camera, as I've found increased appreciation for some of the songs on repeat view, even if the sound is shoddy and the framing jittery.

Take for example the show closer, West End Girls (link here). It sent the crowd out on a high but it was only after I got home that it dawned on me that it was FUCKIN.WEST.END.GIRLS, if you know what I mean. The song that launched a million gay boy's appreciation for dance music, as well as part of the soundtrack to our childhood.

The highlight of the show for me, unexpectedly, came half-way through the set in the form of a couple of songs that I hadn't necessarily paid much attention in the past. "Do I Have To?" paired with "King's Cross", which I've posted above. And that's what happens to me with the Pet Shop Boys: Even though I probably have all their albums, you sometimes discover gems that were probably disregarded in the past ("E-Mail" anyone?).

For others, the highlight was Being Boring, an ode to all those gay men lost to HIV/AIDS (link available here).

If you wanna see more you can check out my videos of the show here or my photos here. We also ran into our friends Edmundo and Rodrigo (that's his photo of Joe and me above). Rodrigo has his own set of videos from the show here.

Related:

• The Pandemonium Tour (Modern Fabulousity)
• Pet Shop Boys @ Hammerstein Ballroom (Brooklyn Vegan)

And I leave you with Love, Inc.



...and "Left to My Own Devices" (apologies about the sound)...