Alison Moyet a year ago -- and today!

In October of last year I had one of my life-time dreams fulfilled. Sure, I had already seen her perform with Vince Clarke in July of 2008 for their Yazoo reunion tour, but what I had always dreamed about was seeing the incomparable Alison Moyet live, singing her own amazing songs.

Dream come true: "One More Time" from the show I saw at the Blender Theater on October 8, 2008:

A year later, almost to the date, comes word a Nov. 3 UK release of a new Alison Moyet "Best of" album titled, appropriately, "Best of 25 Years Revisited". It's not the first 'hits' compilation she has released. "Singles" came out in 1995 with a bonus disc of live versions. And now, the deluxe version of the new release, also sees a 2nd disc with 11 newly recorded re-interpretations of old songs, also sung by Ms. Moyet.

What brought this to light was a recent YouTube discovery of a performance of "This House" by Ms. Moyet that took place earlier this month to promote the new release:

I was simply stunned. Not because it is and shall be one of my favorite Moyet songs, mind you. But because it's difficult not to miss Ms. Moyet's weight loss between October of last year and now. While watching her sing last year, I have to confess I wondered about her weight and her health. It must have taken a lot of work and exercise and major changes to her lifestyle. But she certainly seems at ease and happy - and I hope she feels great. The interview that followed her performance on the Paul O'Grady show doesn't address the weight drop, but it certainly offers a few juicy tidbits, including footage of Moyet as a back-up singer in a special appearance on British TV by legendary Dusty Springfield. Enjoy:

Update #1: From a profile of Alison Moyet the October 2nd edition of The Daily Mail:

[Moyet] says that the decision to shed the pounds was nothing to do with vanity but everything to do with preparing for old age. ‘I have lost and put on big batches of weight in my life many, many times,’ she admits. ‘But what concerns me is the idea of being an obese old woman, because I don’t like the idea of being physically incapable in someone else’s hands.
I have smoked and eaten too much rubbish in my time, but the catalyst for me to do something about it was not wanting to be incapacitated. It goes back to my need for privacy.’

Update #2 [January 2nd, 2011]: Excerpt from a statement Alison posted after comments regarding a televised New Year's Eve performance in the UK elicited lots of Twitter comments:

...then there was Twitter trending over my body. Wow thats MENTAL. I forget. I have lived with me in this form for way more than a year and I don't think about how I seem to others. Being fat all my life and still in my head and my whole psychology I am used to people having their say over me, relatives, journalists.. but we live in new times and instead of giggles behind hands, a spiteful byline and the odd shout out, it is now in your face and unashamed. Complimentary or resentful, I don't like it at all..ha ha...my bleedin' body eh? It will be the death of me. As a point of research for those wondering, no I feel no more confident or lush than I did as big me, less maybe, and spending little time gazing at myself in the looking glass and no time on the pull...I feel utterly unchanged. I am certainly not flattered that a few more 'would'. It is utterly irrelevant.

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)...

Musica: Alison Moyet chomps up the big juicy apple, spits out the seeds

Above: Alison Moyet performing on Oct. 10th at the Paramount Theater in NJ (photo by rustiallen)

A bit late, perhaps, but I wanted to share just how amazing it was to see Alison Moyet live in New York back on October 7th in her first United States solo tour in fourteen years. Not that it had been that long since I'd seen her singing live. That would have been July 19th at the Beacon Theater when she performed as Vince Clarke's muse in a Yazoo revival but - even back then - I said the following:

"I just hope that the adulation and love [from concert-goers] results in a future Alison Moyet tour; I am amazed that I was finally able to see and hear her live but I really hope to see her perform some of her solo work in the future as well."

Well, it didn't take long! Three months later and there I was at the Blender Theatre (much better acoustics) listening to an amazing array of Moyet's back catalogue (she must have sang over 20 songs).

A taste:


From the couple of videos I posted on YouTube, "Find Me" seems to be the most popular so far (perhaps because my voice doesn't overcrowd the vocal and, really, who goes to an Alison Moyet concert to hear MY voice?).


No such luck with one of my all time favorites "This House" but how could I keep from warbling some lyrics this stunning song? And then the bf calls to ask for directions to the theater. Damn camera mic! Why won't you ignore some registers!


In the meantime, Moyet was clearly having a heck of a time with a packed theater and all those adoring gays eating up everything she did. If there seems to be a running joke between her and the audience throughout this "Is This Love" clip, it's because she had already started to sing this song and got thrown off key by the audience singing along with her. Before she began, she asked audience members to please hold on til the 2nd verse (here is the FULL banter from another angle, including the aborted take). I have a feeling part of it is pure stage theatrics but it was GREAT.


The Schemer has a clip of the amazing "Whispering Her Name," which I didn't capture with my cam. The upshot? You don't get to hear me trying to hit those high notes.


From The Schemer, here is "Wishing You Were Here" (and, finally, there is no video footage but check out the STUNNING version of Melanie Safka's "Momma Momma" and her own "Can't Say It Like I Mean It").

Yes, she did do a few Yaz songs but, at least to me, they paled in comparison with her own stuff just as I loved the Yaz show back in July but felt some of it hadn't aged well.

Some of the funniest stuff was her banter with the audience and her response to an annoying audience member who kept screaming "Invisible!" and her response to why she would not sing it that night.

The saddest thing is that while there were a few other shows planned during this tour (and she did play dates in New Jersey and DC), slow ticket sales, poor promotion from US promoters and the US economic crisis meant that it was unsustainable to continue the tour with a full band and all other shows had to be scrapped. Sadly, in a personal note, Moyet says this might have been her last tour in the US.

Related:

• For all things Alison please hit www.alisonmoyet.com
• To purchase albums go to Amazon.com

Previously:

• Goddess (July 20, 2008)
• Yazoo reboots and tours the US (May 15, 2008)
• Alison Moyet's Turn (August 19, 2007)
• Alison Moyet, terrorist? (October 10, 2005)
• Rare Alison Moyet appearance in NYC this Monday (September 30, 2005)

Goddess

The chilly tones emanating from Vince Clarke's synth-pad last night at the Beacon Theater should have been more than enough to break the heatwave that has taken over the city. Then again it was Yazoo (a/k/a Yaz) performing in NYC for the first time since 1983 which also meant Alison Moyet singing her pipes off which almost set the stage on fire.

And so, last night, one of my all time dreams came true as I definitely was in the presence of beauty. The acoustics weren't great and some of Yazoo's old songs didn't carry that well into the new millennium but when it all gelled together chills definitely ran up my spine. What was amazing was watching Ms. Moyet wholly take charge of the 25 year old material and not only make it fresh but also (gulp!) seem to enjoy it.

Halfway through the concert she took issue with a New York Times review of one of two previous sold out shows last week that implied that concert goers weren't familiar with a few of the songs and chatted through the slower numbers.

Actually, it was on the slower numbers such as "Midnight," "Ode to Boy," "In My Room," "Winter Kills," and "Nobody's Diary" that her voice shined. I taped some of them wit my camera but the sound did not come out that great.

The audience, though, seemed ecstatic and the band seemed to appreciate the love. I just hope that the adulation and love results in a future Alison Moyet tour. I am amazed that I was finally able to see and hear her live but I really hope to see her perform some of her solo work in the future as well.

Related:

• Alison Moyet, Vince Clarke reunite Yaz at Beacon (Newsday)
• Alison Moyet comes to New York in Yaz Reunion (Newsday)
• Yaz seeks old magic as duo reunites for first time in 25 years (New York Daily News)
• And I find - I'm knocking for a good time (Gravity and Fusion)
  
• Pink hearts and bad connections (Soccer Mom in Denial)

Video: Too Pieces

Video: Ode to Boy

Someone else's video: Winter Kills (from the Terminal 5 performance on Thursday)

More videos: Click here

Musica: Outdoor (and indoor) summer lovin'

By now the greatness that is Alison Moyet should be walking among the mere mortals here in New York. Along with Vince Clarke (as Yaz) she will be performing at two shows at Terminal 5 tomorrow and Thursday and then on Saturday at the more intimate Beacon Theater (and I got good seats! Hmmm... Bacon!).

In the meantime there's even more summer lovin' coming our way so - if you allow me to highlight a couple of the music events that I consider as unmissable - here we go:

This Sunday: Santogold, Diplo, A-Track, Kid Cudi, Blaqstarr & Mz Streamz - Central Park's SummerStage starting at 3PM (Free): OMG, trust me. It'll be hot, humid, drippy and packed! Get there early.

Sunday, August 3, 2008: Jamie Lidell, Janelle Monae, Little Jackie, Jose James & Gilles Peterson (jazzmatazz-funk courtesy of Giant Step) - Central Park's SummerStage starting at 3PM (Free): Spazzmatazz alert!

Thursday, August 14, 2008: Omar (OMG! OMAR! In NYC!!! OMG!!! Yes! OMG!!!) - SOB's starting at 7PM (Show starts at 9PM) One of the most under-appreciated singers ever in the history of amazing singers makes his way to New York City (video above). He's sung with Mary J. Blige and Stevie Wonder, amongst others.

Friday, August 15, 2008: Bajofondo (hm, ok) and Osunlade & The Yorubasoul Orchestra (OMG! Aural orgasm!!) - Central Park's SummerStage starting at 7PM (Free): I swear to you! Orgazm! Orgasm, I say!