Gary Numan U.S/Canada Tour '98 Show reviews
LOOK FOR UPDATED "NUMANBOY ON THE ROAD" REPORTS, DURING THE TOUR
Updated 3 June, 1998
1 May - Theatre Of the Living Arts Philadelphia, PA - As I walked down the street, headed for the Pre-show gathering, I heard a shout from across the street, "HEY NUMANBOY!".... And thus began the NumanBoy tour. I finally got a chance to start putting faces to all those e-mail address. Now I know them as Rick, Jim, Vince, and Kathryn..and I apologize for not remembering everyone's name. Rick and I popped into a nameless bar to enjoy a Guinness and raise our glasses to Gary. The excitement was beginning to build in the streets, so we jumped into the line that was already forming. Typical Numanoid conversation ensued. "Yea, I've got The Plan on blue vinyl, do you think he'll do Shadow in Vain do you think we'll get to meet him. Jim and Vince suggested that we all yell out a request for "Crash". Not that he would jump into the song, but just to get his reaction, and maybe, just maybe the enthusiasm could add it to a later set. The doors opened early and we made our way to the front of the stage, which was set back behind a few steel baracades. In no time, I turned around to see a packed house. Amazing! The crowd seemed to be a great mix of die-hard Numanoids, old fans, the curious and Gary's target audience the young record buying Goth crowd. I suspected the teen-goths were there just to see Switchblade Symphony and then leave in the same fashion as they did at the Nine Inch Nails/David Bowie concerts of a few years ago. I was to be pleasently surprised when they all stayed for Gary's set. The lights dimmed as the pulsating synths echoed out the opening theme. The band walked on stage, followed by the man himself.....and the crowd politely rushed the stage. So there I was only inches away from the on-stage Gary Numan! Dressed in the same classic black outfit as he wore on the UK tour. Shiny black books which ride up to his knees, tight black jeans, a georgeous black velvet-like shirt and a fanastic long black coat. He picked up his red Gibson guitar and stormed into a re-worked version of "Friends" Now here is where I will offer my one critism. The song was always sung at a fast pace but with the addition of the harder and fuller sound, the vocals get lost. "Dominion Day" was next and a crowd pleaser. Like all of the songs from Exile, this one is much improved live with guitar and especially the live drums. He delivered his now-classic hit "Cars" next and this brought the audience together in a frenzy. Gary's nervousness began to fade and the first of many smiles brightened his face. As he worked his way though a set of mostly early and new material, the crowds enthusiasm never let up. On the final song of the regular set, "Are Friends Electric?", the entire crowd raised their arms and belted out the "whoa whoa's". While the UK fans have been doing this for years, I only expected it from the Numanoids. Gary and the band returned for two house-rocking encores which included "Metal", "Me, I Disconnect from you" and the song I would have paid him a milion dollars to perform, "We Are Glass". On last fall's UK tour, when I spoke with Gary, I mentioned that I was disaponted that he did perform anything from his album, "Telekon"...well I am disapointed no more. As he left the stage for the final time, the group of us just stood in amazement over the crowds response, the rocking perfomance and the thrill of having our hero, in our face.
2 May - Irving Plaza, New York, New York - Full Review Soon! Greetings from NYC, where Gary's show at the Irving Plaza is SOLD OUT!!!! The show last night in Philly was INCREADABLE! And YES, Gary did "WE ARE GLASS" as the second encore. The set was pretty much a mirror of the UK & European tours. I got a smile as I yelled out "Call Out the Dogs". He was increadbly loose onstage and smiled alot and even reached out to touch us. This was Gary in your face. The specactular light show was gone, but I'll gladly give it up for the intimacy of these smaller venues. It was great to see all the younger (obviously Swithbalde Symphony fans) stay for Gary's show. Cheers to Rick (Hope you did well on your test) and Vince and everyone I met last night.
3 May - Middle East, Cambridge, MA - This was THE show of shows. I had an indication, that it would be special, early on, when I arrived at my Pre-Show Party early, to find 15 people already there! It was great to see old friends and new, together for the first time. I wish that party could have lasted all night. Cheers to Lenny, Tommy, Glenn, John, Jack, Allistar, Clea, Hopey, Jim, Kathryn, Mike, Diana, and everyone who made it a great time. This also was, truly the wildest audience of the shows I attended. If you rate a concert by number of bruises you receive, this was a triple bruiser. To me, this is a good thing. There is a certain rush I get from getting physical. This was another SOLD OUT show and no one could beleive it. The line built quickly and of course, I rushed directly to the stage (right hand side) with my left arm leaning against Gary's monitor. Bruise #1 from being crushed against the monitor. The stage was barely knee high and my lower legs were pressed firmly against the stage. With each rush of the crowd, my legs banged on the edge of the stage. Bruises #2 and #3. I could barely walk the next day! Gary and the band hit the stage and jumped right into the opener, "Friends". Followed by "Dominion Day", which I sang out at the top of my lungs. The stage was very small and if Gary was any taller he would have hit his head on the ceiling. But even "Surfin Steve" Harris managed to move around the stage with fluid like precision and rock to every beat. The crowd was going absolutely wild, especially during, "Metal". Again the performances were flawless. Gary was extemely appreciative at the response, and once again smiles lit up his face. As I realized during the UK, the live version of "An Alien Cure" is a killer. It's too bad, Steve's hard edged guitar licks are not on the studio version. Not that I have any critism's of the original, but on stage we hear a great improvement. During the final encore, "We Are Glass", I was going wild, trying to dance as if I had an entire dance floor to myself. This was quite difficult to do and the only place for the releasing energy to go was into the stage or into my friend Barry. I'm sure I stepped on a few toes, too, for which I apologize. At one point, I spun around and came face to face with Gary and got quite an amusing look. Now he knows just how much his music affects me.
After the show, we hung around the tour bus and chatted with Gemma as Gary gratiously signed everything that was handed to him. As Gemma was about to board the bus, I asked for a picture with her and as luck would have it, I had run out of film. Luckily there was a tommorow. We got a couple of shots up in Pontiac. Gary boarded the bus and it headed out, bound directly for Washington.
7 May - Lee's Palace, Toronto, Ont, Canada -Full Review Soon! Last night's GARY NUMAN show at Lee's Palace was a sell out! Tickets were going for $60 on the street. From the look of the crowd, you would have thought that these Canadien fans had showed up for a hockey game. : ) But looks are deceiviving and these fans came with one intention...to rock with GARY. Once again GARY was in high spirtits although he only delivered a few on-stage thank you's. He has settled down from his initial shock at the reaction on this tour. Steve Harris, on guitar, continues to build his on stage presense, rivaling the excitemet of the crowd. The set has been extended to include REPLICAS as the first song in the first encore. And to further prove the energy that GARY can deliver, a mosh pit formed during WE ARE GLASS, and, of course, yours truly was one of the main participants! Once fan had to be pushed back off the stage, (not me) but all was forgiven, and the show continued without interuption.Once again, GARY rocked, proving the meek SHALL inherit the earth.
8 May The Odeon, Cleveland, OH - That night found me singing "Moon over Parma, Tonight", instead of "Dominion Day". I awoke a bit late and then in much the same fashion that Toronto refused to give me a friendly welcome, it refused to give me a friendly good-bye. I sat in stop and go traffic for nearly 25 miles and 3 hours! Probably the worst traffic jam in my whole life...and without an accident or construction in site! Then there was a chemical spill on the interstate near Eire, Pa, so I got the 10 cent tour of downtown Erie...not worth it! So I finally arrived at the venue in Clevelend to hear "My Friends Electric" echoing in the street. I began to get a bit depressed so I headed to a bar and met a nice bloke named Chris and we bought each other a couple of beers. After the show I hang out and greeted Gary and the gang and chatted with Ade Orange, and all the Numanoids. I did have a decent time the next day in Cleveland, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (although it's only slightly better than 2 or 3 visits to some Hard Rock Cafes), and I discovered some interesting nightlife in Cleveland. A pretty decent town all in all.
10 May The 7th House, Pontiac, MI- Coming Soon!
11 May The Metro, Chicago, Ill- Coming Soon!
22 May The Galaxy Club, Dallas, TX- I didn't have high hopes for the Galaxy Club and my intuitions proved true. I was hassled at the door for trying to bring in my 35mm camera (the first time ever). I argued with the door staff but unfortunate I couldn't locate Big Gary, Gemma or anyone so I put it back in the truck. My trusty little Pentax got in and actually is less hassle. The club was packed but I don't believe it was a sell out. The sound sucked, the lights sucked and during "Every Die I Die" the power went out on the DAT machine, ending the song early. The club has no concept of air-conditioning or ventilation and both Gary and the band seemed to tire very quickly from the heat. And even me being used to it, I was about to pass out. The crowd was fairly young and included a few mohawked punks who rudely pushed their way to front but backed off later. I ended up talking with them after the show and also in Houston and Baton Rouge. The crowd was much more sedate than any of the other shows prior but did rally him for 2 encores. Unfortunately, they couldn't muster enough applause for "We Are Glass". A few more people recognised me from the site and after the show was the usual autograph and chat session with the band, and especially my bud, Ade Orange. Talking with Gary in Baton Rouge, he remarked that the best thing about Dallas was being able to swim in the pool at the Holiday Inn where they stayed. Well at least he has one good memory of Big D!
23 May Numbers, Houston, TX-Having overslept, I hit the road and averaging 85 mph, I made it to Houston in 3 1/2 hours. The crowd was once again very young and Goth and here to see Gary. I was surprised at the size of the club and the large stage and most impressed by the light show. With everything the club, Numbers, has going for it, the first two rows of people were perched on stairs leading to the stage making it very difficult for those in the next few rows to see the stage at all. Steve Harris' new stage outfit consisted of a mess shirt. black tights and a long black skirt. His on-stage dance routines were now guitar-less and he was darting all around Gary during some on the introductions and breaks. But Gary didn't mind. Although once again I was in the front row. The monitors were about four feet away and Gary came no closer. A packed house, a good crowd, but once again, unable to rally for the last encore of We are Glass. This was a special night for me as I finally was able to meet Beryl Webb(Gary's Mum). We a had a long private conversation outside after the show as Gary greeted the long line of fans. It was fascinating to be able to talk with the women who brought Gary into the world and hear some of her personal stories....of her warehouse full of Numan t-shirts and describing Marilyn Manson as a shy boy with the strangest orange eyelids who just introduced himself as Paul. And she embedded my name in her memory unlike Gary seemed to be able to do. She also gave me the scoop on someone who would be at the Baton Rouge show....
24 May La Luna, Baton Rouge, LA-
Gary should write a song called Dead City about Baton Rouge. He remarked that when they arrived there were only 3 rejects in the whole of downtown! It was like a neutron bomb had exploded. Except for the two Riverboat Casinos, there was not one single store, bar, restaurant, shop, or gas station open. I only found one human, a policeman in his car, to ask for directions to the club. I got there around 5 and just missed the sound check, which I was hoping to see. But I did get to finally meet Tony Webb (Gary's Dad), and Beryl remembered me by name and then they were off to take pictures of boats on the Mississippi with their camcorder.Then I drove 7 miles for a beer and a sandwich!. This was a great last show. It was like having Gary playing in my living room. The crowd was small but nearly filled the club. Of course I was at the front stage right and actually closer to Gary then the monitors. There were times when I thought we would bang heads, and I couple of time if I had moved one centimetre I could have kissed him on the lips! I had his sweat pouring on me throughout the show. And the performance was flawless and I had good sound from the monitors. And there was Gemma just to my right waving and smiling at me. It was great to see him looked over at her and ask if the show was going on all right. He was loads of smiles that night. Tina Root from Switchblade Symphony was right up there with me banging on the stage and shouting GARY GARY GARY to get him back for the encore. He was back for "Replicas" and "Me, I Disconnect from You", but the crowd died after that so once again there was no "We are Glass". But at least I did get to hear him sing it several times and I'll never forget hearing it in Cambridge. I finally brought printouts from my website (which he thanked me for doing - He said "Lots of work, isn't it?" I said "It's a labour of love" To which he replied "For me it's just labour, sometimes" ) I had him sign a copy of my home page and we finally had a semi private talk about Dallas, the Internet, being on the road and the next US tour(s), Maybe a support gig in the fall and then slightly larger venues next spring. And tonight he finally remembered me by name! Then after saying goodbye to Big Gary, Ade, Gemma, and Gary about 10 times and getting a couple of last pics......I was off. I'll have some final thoughts posted on my site later this week. Oh and that person that Beryl mentioned would be at Baton Rouge....was.....Trent Reznor. I waited all night to see if he would be there and then as the band and Gary scurried backstage from the bus after the show I knew he must be there. As I waited for Gary to come back out (and hoping for a chance to meet Trent), I started yapping away with some fellow fans...then after a dark figure had walked past us, someone said, " oh there goes Trent Reznor", but before I could get up and look...he was gone. Now it's time to go back to normal, : ( , What a truly incredible time I had. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would ever be hanging out with Gary Numan.
31 May Baja Club, Charlotte, NC
This was it, the LAST show of of the tour and somehow I made it. Thanks to a great last minute fare on American and my sister, Donna, putting me up for a couple of night's. As I worked through the e-mails on the days before the show, I KNEW this would be a special show. The last show on a Numan Tour has always been special and there has always been the on-stage prank and Charlotte lived up to all that. The group of us, now known as the US Crazies who had been at the first show in Philadelphia and many other shows were all there. Rick Stott from DC, John and Alice from Pennsylvania, Bob and Darlene, Jim "The Machman" from NY, Kathryn from Salt Lake City, and I met Dan "The Machman" from Tennessee, Rob "AFE" Engleston from the UK, and so many others who's name's escape me at the minute. (I've got to write these things down). We formed outside the club in the blistering NC heat early, which was on a lonely road out side of Charlotte, but conveiently located near a McDonalds. We were all getting pretty crazy and with little alcohol in us. Although, Rick and I did spend some time at the Re-Ra Pub. As we stood in line, Gary, Gemma, the band and the entire entourage appeared from the back stage door and headed for what appeared to be McDonalds. Gary was dressed in a white t-shirt and faded blue cut-off jeans - what a site. As they walked away we all cheered, then someone shouted out, "Someone get a picture of them!". So off I went, running about 100 yards to catch up with them and then I dashed across the steet and snapped pics as they crossed. Someone in the band yelled out. "Where are you going?" "Going to get a hamburger!", I yelled. As they crossed the street, I shouted out, "Going to McDonalds?". To which Gemma yelled backed, "McDonald's is shit!". And then they headed to into Wendy's!!! I ran back to hear cheers from the Crazies as I took my place again in line. As we stood in line, a Record Exchange employee anounced that there were would be a raffle of autographed posters and CD's for the first 100 people in line and we all were handed a numbered ticket. Finally the doors were opened and we rushed inside only to find 4 or 5 people already inside and standing in front of the stage. Needless to say, that did not go over well with the US Crazies, but we all found our place agianst the stage in the first and second rows. As we waited, the music being played was crap and then suddenly, "How Soon Is Now" by The Smiths came on and we all jumped into a sing-a-long, and it continued with "I Ran" by A Flock of Seagulls"!! It's been a while since I've hung out with people who knew the words to those songs. Then came the raffle and as numbers were read, it turned into "The Price Is Right" as we screamed out "Higher" and "Lower" as we hoped they would pick a number that one of us had. We shouted out "Boos" when someone won who wasn't in our group. John aka "Nighwlf" did win a poster, though. We were pumped now and ready for Gary, just enjoying the moment, and not lamenting that this was the last show of the tour....
To be continued....