Synth-pop duo Erasure has been around since 1985 and consists of lead singer Andy Bell and programmer Vince Clarke (founding member of Depeche Mode and Yaz). Throughout their career, the duo has recorded 16 studio albums, seven Eps, and has released an astounding 41 singles. Friday nights nearly sold-out show at the House of Blues comes on the heels of their latest release, The Violet Flame. The 20-song set served and a well-balanced retrospective of the group’s work. The three new tracks from The Violet Flame mixed well with the rest of the set. You can see the entire set list here: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/erasure/2014/house-of-blues-new-orleans-la-43cceb4b.html
The evening as a whole felt like a huge dance party, with strobes and moving lights. Crowd interaction was scarce, but the audience didn’t even seem to matter as the next hit was just around the corner. The tour is a way stripped down as compared to tours in the past. There were no glamorous set pieces or costumes. There was only a single costume change before “Ship of Fools.”
If this was your first time seeing the band it would serve as a grand reminder of the past. The seasoned Erasure fan will always love the band, even in this scaled down version. I just miss some of the grand gestures of shows past. You can see an extended gallery here: http://jalbum.net/a/1558192
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