Psychedelic Furs – Happy Mondays – Amusement Parks on Fire – at The House Of Blues – Anaheim, CA

It’s often said that legends have the ability to bring different groups of people together. The saying rang true Saturday night at the House of Blues in Anaheim, where 80′s sensation the Psychedelic Furs performed with the Happy Mondays and Amusement Parks on Fire. Men and women, ranging from pre-teens to seniors, dressed up casual and modern, gothic, or 80′s style all gathered to hear an amazing performance from one of the greatest goth-rock bands of the 1980′s.

The doors opened at 7:10 PM, ten minutes later than the advertised time. The anxious fans settled in, ordered their drinks, and shared their memories of "back-in-the-day", or just chatted about the music they would soon hear. I even talked to one married couple who was on a romantic outing, because they both met at a Psychedelic Furs show and later fell in love, and felt they needed to pay homage to the band. Soon after, the curtain opened to reveal Amusement Parks on Fire. Lead singer, Michael Feerick shined wearing a black hoodie covered in silver sequins, skinny jeans, and a messy blonde hairstyle. The band played their music with raw energy and a drowsy, Nirvana-esque style. The group showcased their deep, brooding sound similar to the Furs, while getting the audience more and more excited to see the Psychedelic Furs play.

The Happy Mondays, who are another popular British band from the 1980/1990′s, took the stage around 9:15PM. My friend was incredibly happy to see this band, and when they started playing, I knew why. The Happy Mondays, consisting of Shaun Ryder, Mark Berry and Gary Whelan played with a funky energy and passion, which was shown by a curvy African-American woman danced her heart out on a stool on the stage. The group sang old hit such as, "Step On", "Kinky Afro", and "Stinkin Thinkin". Although the Happy Mondays could fall under the category with such bands like Joy Division, the Happy Mondays stick out because of their dubby, skanky style that made them a hit in their prime. The Happy Mondays excellent performance paved the way for the long awaited Psychedelic Furs to appear.

Finally, after dealing with moments of taunting, the curtain opened up around 10:30PM to reveal the Furs, playing the quirky-toned hit, "Love My Way", which I was surprised, yet ecstatic, to hear them perform the song this early in the set. The crowd roared with applause, with many singing along and dancing. The British-native new wave group also performed popular tunes such as, "Ghost in You", "All that Money Wants", and one of my personal favorites, "Heartbreak Beat". As the night carried on, the crowd became noticeably looser, by dancing with strangers and fawning over lead singer Richard Butler, who talked little throughout the set, yet was very gracious to the adorning fans. In the middle of their set, they surprised me once again by playing the infamous hit that inspired the John Hughes film, "Pretty in Pink", which had everyone, including the bartenders, singing along to every single word. At this point, women were trying to dance on the bar and men were swaying arm-in-arm. Soon after "Pretty in Pink" and a few other songs were performed, Butler blew kisses to the crowd and the Furs exited the stage. The still-dimmed lights and lack of house music was a hint to us that our Furs would soon emerge again from backstage. Alas, they pleased and came out to perform two more songs, as well as Richard Butler signing autographs and touching fans hands, while expressing his gratitude to the whole crowd. When the Psychedelic Furs left the stage, and the curtain closed, we knew that the show was unfortunately over.

As fans exited the venue, sober or drunk, they were all satisfied and excessively chatty about how great the Psychedelic Furs and Happy Mondays were, and how "they sounded just like they did 20 years ago". Whether the audience was there to hear and see Amusement Parks on Fire, Happy Mondays, or the Psychedelic Furs, they no doubt got an amazing post-punk and new wave show. Hopefully, the next time that the Psychedelic Furs play again, fans won’t have to wait 20 years, but even if we did, its damn well worth the wait.
 

-Sarah K.-
Big Wheel Music Scene Reporter
 

Photos of the Psychedelic Furs show the night before at Nokia Theater can be seen HERE

 
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