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January 14 - Sirius Radio, New York
City
March 6th - Tower Records, New York
City
March 7th - Beacon Theater, New York
City
March 7th - Beacon Theater, New York
City
March 7th - Beacon Theater, New York
City
March 7th - Beacon Theater, New York
City
March 7th - Beacon Theater, New York
City
March 17th - Mayan Theater, Los Angeles
March 19th - The Joint, Las Vegas
March 19th - The Joint, Las Vegas
March 19th - The Joint, Las Vegas
Tour Book
Black Tee Shirt
Red Tee Shirt with USA tour dates on
Green tee shirt (also came in pink or white)
Silver metal keyring
Coffe Mug - UK
Beacon gig ticket
The Other Tour newpaper ad
Homanay gig cancelled
Homanay gig ticket
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2003 - 'THE OTHER TOUR' February 10 - Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone UK February 12 - Grimsby Auditorium , Grimsby UK February 13 - Guildhall, Preston UK February 14 - Town Hall, Middlesbrough UK February 16 - Barrowland, Glasgow Scotland UK February 17 - Barbican, York UK February 18 - Assembly Rooms, Derby
UK February 21 - Astoria , London UK February 22 - Astoria , London UK March 2 - 9:30 Club, Washington DC USA March 4 - Clutch Cargos, Pontiac Michigan,
USA March 6 - Tower Records autograph session (no gig) New York City USA March 7 - Beacon Theater , New York City USA March 8 - Beacon Theater , New York
City USA March 10 - Chicago Theatre, Chicago
Illinois USA March 19 - The Joint , Las Vegas Nevada USA March 20 - 97.3 Alice radio gig at W Hotel, San Francisco California USA March 21 - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco California USA March 22 - Radio gig, Palo Alto California USA March 23 - Paramount Theatre, Seattle Washington USA May 5 - Astoria , London UK May 6 - Astoria , London UK May 8 - Guildhall, Southampton UK May 9 - Royal Court, Liverpool UK May 13 - Regent, Ipswich UK May 30 - (late night) G.A.Y. nightclub, London UK June 3 - Muffathalle, Munich GERMANY June 7 - Stadtpark, Hamburg GERMANY * Concert postponements & cancellations ----------------------------------------------------- OCTOBER 4, 2003 - CLAKE
& WARE MUSIC ----------------------------------------------------- NEW YEARS EVE Setlists for OPS Tour include: Mad As We Are (dropped after the first few dates) - Alien - In My Arms - Blue Savannah - Ship Of Fools - Solsbury Hill - Chains Of Love - Can`t Help Falling In Love - Oh L`Amour - Love To Hate You - Breath Of Life - When I Needed You - Home - Sometimes - Victim Of Love - A Little Respect - Rock Me Gently - Chorus - Spiralling - Always - You`ve Lost That Loving Feeling - Piano - Song - True Love Ways - Goodnight - Stop! - Come Up & See Me (replaced Home from NY gigs onward) Backing singers : Valerie Chalmers & Ann-Marie Gilkes Merchandise sold includes: DJs Manhattan Clique were the opening act for the UK Feb gigs. Cooler Kids were the opening act in the USA. Vic Twenty was the opening act for the May UK gigs. Setlist for G.A.Y. nightclub May 30: ----------------------------------- An Erasure interview recorded at Sirius Radio in NYC on January 14 (aired at a later date) included a mini acoustic gig: Alien - I Can't Help Falling In Love With You - Oh L'Amour - Solesbury Hill, A Little Respect - True Love Ways Several tracks were used as "B-sides" on Erasure CD singles. ---------------------------------- NEWSDAY'S REVIEW Andy Bell steps onstage with a dramatic flourish, wearing an Edwardian gown, complete with hoop skirt and platform heels. When he's not belting out some of Erasure's best dance hits or songs from the duo's new album of remakes, "Other People's Songs," Bell is stomping like a whirling dervish possessed by "The Lord of the Dance" and vamping like a can-can girl on a double espresso. In the studio, Erasure is a joint venture, combining Bell's powerful vocals and Vince Clarke's danceable, wall-of-synthesizers sound. In concert, though, Erasure is all about Bell - his over-the-top diva antics, his strong-yet-vulnerable vocals and, maybe most importantly, his intense connection with the audience - while Clarke, on the other hand, stands off to the side, manning the synths or strumming a guitar. For more than 100 minutes, Erasure, with only two backup singers, sashayed its way through nearly two decades of hits from its own catalog and from others. It's impossible to resist the charms of the Erasure show - especially its uptempo anthems, packed with clever lyrics, Bell's soaring vocals and Clarke's irresistible, chugging rhythms. This night was no different, as the duo introduced strong new songs such as "Make Me Smile" and the bouncy "Solsbury Hill" next to classics such as "Sometimes" and "Victim of Love," which only get better with age, as Clarke continues to rework the arrangements. The improvements, though, make it hard not to wonder what Erasure could accomplish with a full band instead of relying so heavily on pre-recorded backing tracks. Maybe that's why the showstoppers of the evening were the ballads - with the gorgeous Erasure nugget "Piano Song" and "Goodnight," a poignant ballad from "Other People's Songs." The simple, yet effective songs allow Bell to improvise, letting him wrap his voice around every word to maximize their emotional wallop at the end of the show. After a solemn cover of Buddy Holly's "True Love Ways," the duo kicked up the energy level again for its dance anthem "Stop," with Bell bopping around the stage in a multicolored leather racing outfit, replacing the leather bikini he wore for the middle of the show. Like Bell's costume changes, opening group Cooler Kids were about doing the unexpected. For the first half of its odd 45-minute set, Cooler Kids DJ Kaz Gamble played songs such as The Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?" tailored for the Erasure audience. For the second half, singer Sisely Treasure came out to deliver a few songs, including the current '70s-flavored dance hit "All Around the World," aided by an energetic, uncoordinated guy - a dancer according to his "I'm a Dancer" T-shirt. While the Cooler Kids' set was a bit rough, it harnessed the same kind of sweet goofiness that Erasure exudes, a charm that continues to serve Bell and Clarke well. -Glen Gamboa
--------------------------------------- THE DAILY NEWS' REVIEW It's not every male singer who would choose to open a show dressed in a Victorian hoop skirt and close it stripped down to go-go boy hot pants. But to Andy Bell of Erasure, the point must have seemed obvious: that underneath every prig lies a free spirit raging to break free. He made the most of that notion at his group's first New York show in six years. The act, which includes singer Bell and musician Vince Clarke, re-imagined the Beacon stage as a turn-of-the century drawing room, complete with Victrola, wainscoting and settee. If the stuffiness of the setting seemed dissonant with Bell's character, its florid elements were in perfect harmony. Erasure enjoyed its heyday as one of the '80s original synth-pop pioneers, along with other U.K. acts like the Eurythmics, Soft Cell and Human League. Since that time they've served up frothy melodies and peppy beats, topped by vocals ornate enough to make Judy Garland sound restrained. It's dance-pop as its fluffiest. The style even has a new resonance. While the Beacon was filled Friday (and again on Saturday) with the band's original fans-many of whom are gay men in their 30's-a younger neo-synth-pop movement is afoot. Operating under the name "electro-clash" and fronted by acts like Fisherspooner and Ladytron, the new variation punches up '80s synth pop with the force of punk. But at the Beacon, nostalgia ruled. Erasure's long string of '80s hits dominated, from "Savannah Song" to "A Little Respect" to "Chains of Love." Even the "new" numbers, slipped in from the band's latest release, comprise covers of older classics. Five pieces from "Other People's Songs" were featured, including a spirited take on Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" and a resurrection of an obscure British gem from 1975, Cockney Rebel's "Make Me Smile." Since Erasure features just one musician on-stage-a dour-looking Clarke, manning banks of synths plus the occasional acoustic guitar-it needed Bell's flouncey shenanigans to rally attention. The group also brought along two female backup singers, who were draped in far more modest duds than Bell. It should be noted that Bell has historic value as on of the first gay pop stars to come out. And while he's hardly breaking any stereotypes-Liberace was rough trade compared to him-he's sincere about his belief in both the defiant and redemptive qualities of camp. One of the night's few missteps was the decision to perform Buddy Holly's "True Love Ways" in dead earnest, on just an acoustic guitar. Bell should know by now that Erasure makes its greatest mark when it refuses to play it straight. -Jim Farber --------------------------------------- LOS ANGLES WEEKLY Andy Bell is the sweetest-sounding cherub in all of dance pop. Not since Bronski Beat's Jimmy Somerville has there been a melody maker whose swooning can send you into dreamland like a lullaby at your mother's bosom. More than just the male incarnation of Agnetha, Donna, Diana or any other dancing queen, the old gal's kept Erasure - poppier than Depeche Mode, lighter than Pet Shop Boys - from becoming dated Eurotrash disco, and gave a throwaway genre more credibility in the '80s than Kylie Minogue and all her la lala la's now. Bell and partner Vince Clarke had transformed the Mayan stage into an Edwardian sitting room complete with chaise longue and gramophone. And out walks our King/Queen Bell (in black satin hoop skirt, jacket, high-button shoes and top hat) with his Gibson Girl backup singers. He twirls, he cancans, he strips down to a red corset and briefs, then twirls and cancans some more. And who is that quietly manning the controls and strumming guitar? Clarke, the debilitatingly shy Teller to Bell's Penn who can barely turn to face the crowd when called upon. Actually, for all his flamboyant charm, Bell himself seems like a timid soul, keeping the banter short and leaving lotsa time to do nearly all of Pop!: The First 20 Hits. We lock ourselves in "Chains of Love," take part in "Chorus," wave paper hearts during "Oh L'Amour," and when Bell says "Stop!" we stretch out our hands in Supremes-like fashion. Culled from the current cover album Other People's Songs (do we really need someone else's interpretation of "Video Killed the Radio Star"?) were also versions of such classics as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," "Can't Help Falling in Love" and their up-tempo take on "Solsbury Hill" that's become a surprise dance hit on radio stations. Personal favorites: "Love To Hate You," a close cousin (once removed) of "I Will Survive," and the enchanting "Blue Savannah," with Bell's swirl of ethereal harmonies that is the perfect accompaniment to sipping a mint julep. Home is where your heart is. -Siran Babayan
EDINBURGH'S
DAILY NEWSPAPER Edinburgh began picking up the pieces of its cancelled Hogmanay party yesterday, as officials vowed the fiasco would not cause lasting damage the city's international reputation. As angry tourists from across the world criticised the way the event was handled, all 8,500 people who bought £25 and £30 tickets for the three-hour Concert in the Gardens were promised full refunds. This could cost Unique Events, the company organising the party, up to £225,000. However, Pete Irvine, the director of Unique Events, said his company was not insured for the weather. "You can't insure against it, this was an act of God," he added. The concerts, fireworks and mass midnight singalongs which have made Edinburgh one of the world's most celebrated Hogmanay venues were cancelled on safety grounds just over an hour before the bells. The fireworks were stopped on the recommendation of the company masterminding the spectacular. Jonathan Prince, the director of Pyro 1, which has organised more than 1200 displays, said that firing powerful fireworks up to 1,000ft into the air in winds up to 70mph could have caused injury or death. Close attention will focus on how winds took apart the stage around the Ross Bandstand where Erasure, The Coral, and Franz Ferdinand were to play. Assistant chief constable Ian Dickinson, the police officer acting as chief co-ordinator of the Hogmanay event, ordered the structure's evacuation barely half-an-hour before the first band was due on. After fabric awnings were blown away, technicians struggled to protect water-logged electrical equipment and four people were hurt by debris. Mr Dickinson said he had been advised by engineers that violent gusting winds caused the damage. The ultimate decision to cancel was taken by officials from the council, Unique Events, and police. "We weren't applying a cotton woolly sort of standard," said Mr Dickinson. "There was serious risk of injury or death." The four-day Hogmanay event has a budget of £1.5 million. The cost of the concert, Royal Bank Street Party, and the midnight display of 20,000-plus fireworks, is estimated at around £500,000. Edinburgh City Council, which bankrolls the Hogmanay celebration, will explore "lessons learned" from the cancellation, the first in 12 years. It is exploring whether its insurance covers any part of the cost. Mr Irvine yesterday called for the Ross Bandstand to be replaced by a permanent structure to use for Hogmanay, the Fringe and other events. But he remained upbeat as a New Year's Day programme of events went ahead: "We are long in the game. We just get on with it. A charm offensive to get tourists back will not be necessary. This was a one-off." Lesley Hinds, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, said: "We will find out what worked, what didn't - were there any lessons to be learned?" She stressed the "fantastic start" to Edinburgh's Hogmanay, with images from Monday's torchlight procession and Tuesday's Night A'fore International festival beamed round the world - and didn't think the cancellation would have a lasting impact. "I think [people] will still have a very positive image of Edinburgh," she said. "We have done well for the last 11 years." However, many tourists disagreed. There was anger at the lack of announcements and the fact that those still out at midnight had no idea the New Year had arrived. Heidi Young, 26, from Glasgow, said: "I'm really annoyed. I think it will damage Edinburgh's reputation because a lot of people came a long way and may not come back." The bad weather saw tens of thousands of UK homes suffer power cuts. Between 8,000 and 10,000 homes in Borders, Central Scotland, Tayside, Fife and Highland areas were affected. -TIM CORNWELL AND WILLIAM LYONS |
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