Eric The White

Andy Bell and Vince Clarke came through South Texas Friday night, and the boys put on a great show. Erasure is touring for Tomorrow’s World which is set to release early next month. Their first stop in Texas was at ACL Live, at the Moody Theater.

The Moody Theater is ACL’s new home in downtown Austin. It seats over 2,700 people, and there are really no bad seats in the house. According to their site, The Moody Theater has three “intimate levels.” Last night I sat with my wife on the third level, and we had a great line of sight and the sound was amazing. The only complaints I had are that the seats were narrow and it takes forever to leave the building as all exit traffic is funneled through a single narrow door.

The set for Erasure’s performance had a definite goth vibe going for it. They brought gargoyles, an enormous cathedral window, and several spiked platform structures. Clarke was perched on top of a red-eyed gargoyle for much of their set. The centerpiece was definitely the medieval window. Throughout the show they dazzled the stone-like edifice with bursts and strobes of light. It was amazing.

From the jump, Bell came out ready for battle, dressed completely in red and wearing a giant medieval helmet with an enormous brush-like plume sticking straight up into the air. Naturally, he didn’t last long in the helmet, but he did manage to keep his shirt on for much of the performance. I’m grateful to report there was no red pleather this time.

All the gothic battle gear was an interesting,  juxtaposed with Sono Luminus, the first song of the evening. I guess Andy’s just guarding all that peace and love locked deep inside.

Erasure played quite a few songs from their earlier albums, going way back in the time machine. Bell and Clarke shared their signature stuff including Always, Blue Savannah, Victim of Love, and the more obscure Hideaway. They also blew out Chorus and Love to Hate You off their Chorus album. Sadly, they neglected to include anything off Cowboy. I’d gladly trade Alien off the Loveboat album for several songs off Cowboy.

Bell on stage is quite a scene. When he wasn’t marching and pogoing across the stage, he would spin frenetically across the set. The stage crew taped a virtual runway on the floor to try and contain Bell’s performance. Without the marks, he might have easily flown right off the stage. Also, Andy is ripped. I guess running around like a speed freak on payday keeps a dude pretty trim.

Andy Bell’s voice was on point the entire evening. He belted out everything. I was a little surprised with how he approached When I Start To (Break It All Down) because he went lower on the power choruses than he did on the single and on their video release. I’m not trying to tell the man how to sing. I’ve just really been loving the song lately, and it’s amazing to hear his upper range. During the set Bell told us he drinks hot toddy with honey to keep his voice. Whatever he does to maintain it, dude’s got a gift.

I waited all night for Oh L’Amour, and I wasn’t disappointed. Clarke came out center stage and played a couple of notes, and the crowd went wild. When Bell revved up the vocals, everyone screamed themselves hoarse. Even the gothic window started feeling the love, as the panes suddenly sprouted beautiful stained glass. This was a perfect mix of one of my favorite songs, and I’m stoked I finally saw it live.

When Erasure hit Stop! we all sensed the show was regrettably ending. Bell and Clarke blew out the encore finale reminding everyone that “we’ll be together again.” The entire crowd erupted when Andy, Vincent, and the girls went center stage for an impromptu curtain call.

*photo courtesy Ladyne Handel

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