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Let’s catch up with some concert reviews today, shall we? First, Peter Murphy!

July 9th, 2008 Posted by: Dust Devil

Hello everybody,

June 9, 2008 at the Marquee Theatre, the legendary Peter Murphy performed. Yes folks, legendary, yet only about 200 people showed up. A crying shame …

Please don’t pretend to be a fan of goth music if you are not a fan of Peter Murphy, probably the Godfather of Goth Music. His years fronting Bauhaus were extraordinary and the band created music that remains crucial today 30 years later. If you do not own anything by this band, pick up Crackle to give you a glimpse of their greatness.

I saw Peter Murphy twice during the Deep tour 17 or 18 years ago (my mind is still fuzzy at times in regards to that stage of my life …) and have seen Bauhaus during one of their reunion tours, so I knew I would be in for a great evening. Positioning myself right up front, I cheered mightily when he took the stage and was in shock when his newest backing band launched into The Line Between The Devils’ Teeth (And That Which Cannot Be Repeat). Holy cow, he opened with one of my favorite songs from Deep!

All these years later and Peter Murphy STILL has one of the best voices I have ever heard. A reference was made to him as the “Neil Diamond of Goth” and that is a great description (kudos once again to Robert Lerma). At the age of 50 he is still able to hit the low octaves that most humans would find impossible.

The set list was a wonderful blend of his solo ouput as well as some Bauhaus gems tossed in. Deep Ocean, Vast Sea and A Strange Kind of Love were performed spectacularly and The Sweetest Drop resonated in its beauty. Although the crowd was small, they clung to Peter Murphy’s every move and were deeply appreciative of what they had the pleasure to witness. She’s In Parties naturally caused a big reaction from the audience, the song being a Bauhaus favorite and a stellar opportunity for him to really showcase his vocal delivery.

Peter Murphy treated us to two encores, with the last encore naturally highlighted with his biggest hit, Cuts You Up, another beautiful tune from Deep. His music sounds as refreshing today as it did when I was still in junior high and I left the show equally as satisfied as I did when first seeing him perform almost two decades ago. Some artists do need to retire. I hope artists like Peter Murphy continue to grace the music community for many more years. What a glorious evening.

Cheers!
The Dust Devil

Filed under: My Take, Event Reviews