New Order at Radio City Music Hall

New Order

Radio City Music Hall

April 13^th 2017

Before heading to Coachella, New Order kicked off their Spring U.S. tour by first stopping off at Radio City Music Hall, the same famed venue where they performed last year to support their Music Complete album.

With the current line-up of original members Bernard Sumner (vocals and guitar) and  Stephen Morris (drums)– joined by long time keyboardist Gillian Gilbert, Phil Cunningham, (guitar and keyboards) and Tom Chapman on bass,  the show opened with a 2 minute calming video of swimmers diving off the high board and floating through the air. As the video soothed the anticipating spectators, the band took the stage.  Starting with the third single release from the most recent album- “Singularity” ––the British musical pioneers automatically brought the excited crowd to their feet.  Also included in the show from the latest release were “Restless”, “Superheated”, “Tutti Frutti” and “Plastic”, all instant New Order classics.

A major highlight took place midway through the set when New Order played “Your Silent Face” from the Power, Corruption & Lies album. What made this so amazing other than the classic tune, was the projection of clips from Jerry Grayson’s “The Earth Wins” film. The captivating large overview scenery of Mother Earth was simply breath taking and a sight to behold:

Entering the second half of the show, it became a non-stop barrage of classic favorites which naturally delighted the new and old New Order fans. “Bizarre Love Triangle”, “The Perfect Kiss”, “True Faith”, “Blue Monday” and “Temptation” — all songs that hit number one on the UK indie charts and are still clearly great. “Blue Monday”, a song absent from last year’s show, was a perfect & welcomed fit in the line-up. This year’s spectacle seemed to also have an additional dance beat mix to the songs, giving the audience strong motivation to remain on their feet and dance.

For the encore, the band dipped way back into time before there was a New Order, back
when Sumner and Morris were apart of Joy Division.  “Decades” from the 1980 release Closer saw New Order give a fitting tribute to Ian Curtis, and beautifully capping the night with “Love Will Tear Us Apart”.

With a great mix of tracks ranging almost forty years, New Order once again displayed their amazing ability to continually create and
perform hit songs that make us reminisce and look forward– all just with the power of their music—a clear reflection of their enduring legacy.  

Set List: Singularity, Regret, Singularity, Love Vigilantes, Crystal, Restless, Superheated,
Your Silent Face, Tutti Frutti, Bizarre Love Triangle, Waiting for the Sirens’ Call, Plastic,
The Perfect Kiss, True Faith, Blue Monday, Temptation, Encore: Decades (Joy Division cover), Love Will
Tear Us Apart (Joy Division cover)

Article & Photos by Angelo Santoro