Blogography Logo
spacer

  Home  

ELECTRIC!

Posted on Sunday, September 22nd, 2013

Dave!When I found out that one of my all-time favorite bands, The Pet Shop Boys, would once again be swinging through Seattle on their Electric tour, I was ecstatic. This would be three-for-three in seeing all their Seattle performances. Except... the date was one day before I leave for vacation. And there was no way I could make that work.

But there was also no way I was going to miss the show, so I found they were playing Philadelphia on a weekend, and my solution was clear.... I would be cashing in a pile of airline miles and hotel points and heading back to the East Coast (after Depeche Mode in Tampa last weekend).

It was totally worth the effort.

Mostly because the concert was mind-bogglingly excellent, as usual. But also because my ticket came in a "meet and greet" package where I actually got to shake hands and chat with the band! And get my lanyard and program signed...

Pet Shop Boys Program Signed!

Not really knowing what to say, I thanked them profusely for coming to Seattle at long last and then returning again with their previous Pandemonium tour. It was then that Neil said "Wait... we're going to be in Seattle again this tour... what are you doing here in Philadelphia?" At which time I explained my situation, and Chris was kind enough to say that they really enjoy playing Seattle and that it's part of their schedule now (replacing Texas, apparently). Both "Boys" were incredibly warm and friendly, and seemed genuinely appreciative of their fans. It was a complete thrill to have met them, and I'm still a bit starstruck from the experience.

As I had said, the show was beyond amazing. Very imaginative and technically impressive. Beautifully staged. Incredibly entertaining. And then there was the music... which is one of my favorite things on earth. They played a brilliant assortment of songs new and old, and the crowd was on their feet the whole time.

AND I GOT TO SEE IT ALL FROM THE SECOND ROW!!!

When I bought my ticket, I had thought that I was in the 28th, because my row was "BB." In an Excel spreadsheet, columns go from A to Z, then go AA, BB, CC, etc. But it turns out that the "Mann Center for the Performing Arts" has BB as the second row of the orchestra pit. I was so close to the stage that it was almost like getting to meet them all over again!

Dave at the Stage!
ME! RIGHT THERE AT THE STAGE!

Scary Pokey Suits!
Their first costumes were scary spikey shirts. They did not look at all comfortable.

Bull Heads!
Then it was time for... BULL HEADS!!!

Pet Lasers!
The sheer volume of lasers present would have vaporized lesser men!

Chris Disco Ball Head!
Chris is wearing a disco ball on his head. And why wouldn't he?

Pet Bed Projections!
The Pet Shop Boys were strapped to beds, then had other bodies projected on to them!

Chris Keyboard Station!
Chris's keyboard station was beautiful and... ELECTRIC!

Chris and Cone Heads!
And... it was time for a final couple of songs and the end to a great show!

Incredible. Just incredible.

No joke... if you are even a tiny bit of a fan of The Pet Shop Boys, GO SEE THIS SHOW! Tour dates are here.

And then...

This is one incredibly small world. I went from having no idea how I was getting home from the concert to getting a ride from the guy sitting next to me from Philadelphia who is a colleague of a friend I know who lives in London when I am from Seattle. I noticed it completely by accident when he put on a sweatshirt with a company logo I recognized. And this follows my running into my friend from London when I was in Boston back in June.

Everything's connected... you just have to stop and look for it!

And speaking of connections... seeing The Pet Shop Boys was not the only great thing to happen today... I got to go to lunch with blogging buddies BubbleWench, LibraGirl, and ChrissyRub! They were incredibly kind enough to take time out of their busy Sundays to come hang out with me and I couldn't have been happier. Having met such amazing people over the years from this blog continues to be a payoff that never ends.

After a fun couple hours, the ladies were nice enough to kill time with me before the concert by offering to take me to see Ft. Mifflin. Once they told me it was haunted, I was totally onboard! It's actually quite a pretty area...

Ft. Mifflin, PA

Though the insides are kinda dead. I totally understand why ghosts would want to hang around here...

Ft. Mifflin Dance Hall?

The most interesting thing about Ft. Mifflin today, however, is its proximity to the airport. Every 5 minutes, a plane screams overhead. And the planes get really close...

Ft. Mifflin Plane

No, seriously, the planes get really, really close...

I swear at some point I could see people inside...

Planes from Ft. Mifflin

Pretty cool! Thanks again ladies!

And... then it was off to the concert, which LibraGirl was kind enough to drive me to.

And... it was incredible. Just incredible.

But I think I mentioned that already.

Tags: , ,
Categories: Music 2013Click To It: Permalink
   

Comments

  1. martymankins says:

    WOW… Just WOW! Incredible light show, costumes and music. So cool you got to see them again. While I’ve never seen them live (almost did back in 1985 when they first burst onto the US scene in Los Angeles, but alas, they cancelled their first tour), they are a band I would love to at some point.

    I do like their latest album ELECTRIC, which is really good after my first few listens.

    And of course, I’m jealous you got to hang out with Bubblewench and LibraGirl.

  2. Jackie says:

    It was great meeting you at the PSB show, and thanks for sharing the pics – you got way better seats than we did! Hopefully we’ll see each other at another concert (PSB, DM…are you an Erasure fan by any chance?)

    • Dave2 says:

      Great to meet you at the show! Yes, I’m a big Erasure fan! They have such a great catalog of stuff, and just when I think they’re running out of ideas, we get something like “Cowboy” or “Nightbird” that makes me love the band all over again. 🙂

  3. This looks awesome! Glad you got to go.

  4. Poppy says:

    So awesome! LOVE the bull heads!!!!!!!!!

Add a Comment

Blankatar!

   
I love comments! However, all comments are moderated, and won't appear until approved. Are you an abusive troll with nothing to contribute? Don't bother. Selling something? Don't bother. Spam linking? Don't bother.
PLEASE NOTE: My comment-spam protection requires JavaScript... if you have it turned off or are using a mobile device without JavaScript, commenting won't work. Sorry.




   


   


   
   
   
Your personal information is optional. Email addresses are never shown, and are only used by me if a public reply would be too personal or inappropriate here. The URL link to your web site or blog will be provided, so only fill this in if you want people to visit!



   

  Home  

spacer
Welcome:
Blogography is a place to learn and grow by exposing yourself to the mind of David Simmer II, a brilliant commentator on world events and popular culture (or so he claims).
Dave FAQ:
Frequently Asked Questions
Dave Contact:
dave@blogography.com
Blogography Webfeeds:
Atom Entries Feed
Comments Feed
translate me
flags of the world!
lost & found
Search Blogography:
thrice fiction
Thrice Fiction Magazine - March, 2011 - THE END
I'm co-founder of Thrice Fiction magazine. Come check us out!
hard rock moment
Visit DaveCafe for my Hard Rock Cafe travel journal!
travel picto-gram
Visit my travel map to see where I have been in this world!
badgemania
Blogography Badge
Atom Syndicate Badge
Comments Syndicate Badge
Apple Safari Badge
Pirate's Booty Badge
Macintosh Badge
license
All content copyright ©2003-2022
by David Simmer II
   
Creative Commons License
This weblog is licensed under
a Creative Commons License.
ssl security