The Giant Panther

Just Push Eject and Give Me The Tape. Tonight I saw Peter Murphy Live. There are some serious rock baritones out there in the land of Rock & Roll; Iggy Pop, Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) and the Godfather of Goth Peter Murphy are three that come to mind off the top of my head. I don't know which one is deeper, but I love them all (yes, even CTD). There is a pretty good reason why they resonate (to coin a phrase) so well. They're unique sounding. I love their sound. I hadn't seen Peter Murphy since April 10, 1990 at Citi Club here in Boston. I'm pretty sure I saw him earlier at The Orpheum Theatre in a triple bill around 1988, possibly involving The Church, but I can't find the proof to be sure for the moment. It's in here somewhere though. I know that for sure.

You know how you call radio stations seconds after an announcement promising free tickets and you get a busy signal for days? Well, today I was just fooling around dialing WFNX trying to win tickets to see the legendary Peter Murphy (Bauhaus) last night at Showcase Live on the grounds of Foxborough, MA's Gillette Stadium (home of the New England Patriots) and guess what? I won! Showcase Live is a smallish venue reminiscent of many hotel venues in Las Vegas, NV. There are several tables with multiple parties, meaning you sit with strangers, and the place is spacious, airy and a little sterile. Know what? I liked it. The service was great, the place was nicely air conditioned and during the show there were times when I was literally within ten feet of Peter Murphy. Pretty cool. The venue is maybe two years old and I had never been due to the one hour commute and the nasty Cross - Town - Traffic (I love the way Jimi Hendrix spit that out...You're Just Like...). I missed The Church last Thursday and I was determined to show up down there and check this place out. The place holds 750 when they sell standing room and a mere 500 when they just seat folks. That's my kind of place!

I've been a Peter Murphy fan since I first heard "Indigo Eyes" in the late 80's. I didn't know much about Bauhaus, but I knew "Bela Lugosi's Dead" was a hit for them. I knew they covered David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and T-Rex's Telegram Sam, but I wasn't altogether sure what made them great until years later. The tour Murphy is doing now is called "The Secret Covers Tour." I assumed he would be covering songs, but I didn't know which ones or how many. What I got was John Lennon's "Instant Karma," David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and a wonderful version of Joy Division's "Transmission" complete with Ian Curtis' signature hand gestures. The funny thing is I didn't hear any of his hits and I still had an awesome time. No "Indigo Eyes," No "Cuts You Up," No You're So Close," No "Final Solution," No "All Night Long," No nothing. I did hear great versions of "Deep Ocean, Vast Sea" and "Time Has Got Nothing To Do With It," but I clearly have work to do with his catalogue. He had several rockers I didn't recognize and that tells me I'm slipping. I did zero prep work for this show, but I had a whale of a time. The sound was great too.

I had just watched, finally, the movie "Control" which is the story of Joy Division and the death of Ian Curtis. I have seen "Sid & Nancy" and many films of this rock star death genre, but I never fail to be fascinated by the stories. Anyway, Peter Murphy, all 51 years of him (I think he turns 52 on July 11th), rocked the house. The Goth crowd was mostly in disguise at this show, but there were a few poorly aged veterans of the scene complete with the additional pounds we all seem to lug around, but this wasn't a show for the scenesters. It was a show for the diehards. Murphy put on a great show so go see it if you see an opportunity. It was cheap and he's playing smaller venues so you can literally stand right next to him while he performs. There was a strict no pictures policy in place, but I figured vanity was an issue. That or he didn't feel like wearing makeup...

One of my favorite Peter Murphy tracks is from his first CD called Love Hysteria. It's called His Circle and Hers Meet and I'm leaving you with it now. Naturally this wasn't played either, but I didn't mind. I hope you like it. Live music is the very best and every time I see a show I remember why I love it so much. Long Live Rock as my friends in The Who might say...I need it every night...