Old review: Pet Shop Boys @ Terminal 5 (2014)

While some of my writings can’t be recovered via Wayback Machine, I managed to find some that I emailed to myself before having it published. This is my review of Pet Shop Boys @ Terminal 5 back in 2014 (originally written for Fake Walls bka The NJ Underground:

"Tonight, I've been walking in the rain," sings Pet Shop Boys frontman Neil Remnant during the track "One More Chance", and the sold out crowd at Terminal 5 could easily relate to that statement. A week before their NYC gig, the UK synthpop duo were basking in the warm sun during their second weekend at the Coachella Music Festival. The dreary weather didn't put a damper on anyone's spirits, though. The crowd, which consisted of mostly older folks, made their way inside the venue with a hefty amount of house music playing in the monitors. Pet Shop Boys' last appearance in New York City featured two sold out gigs at the legendary Beacon Theater last September. Obviously, tickets for the Terminal 5 show went very fast.

Pet Shop Boys have done it all in their career: awards from all over the world, numerous albums debuting in the top of the charts, sold out shows, and the distinct title of "most successful U.K. music duo" from Guiness World Records. With their latest album Electric, the duo managed to create something that can attract the younger generation of electronic music enamored with acts like Avicii and Deadmau5 while still giving their older fans something to cherish.

Unlike their last U.S. trek, Pet Shop Boys didn't bring any opening acts with them. That probably sat well with a lot of their fans that just wanted to get things rolling. This obviously equated to a lengthy line to get inside. At 9:10pm, Neil and keyboardist Chris Lowe arrived to the stage wearing pointy black hats and bristled black jackets during the opening track "Axis". The duo stayed behind the somewhat transparent curtain until "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)". As the curtain fell to the stage, the roar from the crowd almost drowned out the music. Neil's demeanor on stage was very suave and genuine.

The duo visited their 2006 album Fundamental for a bit with a back to back attack of "Fugitive" and "Integral". With 12 albums under their belt, it can become tedious picking a setlist to cover a vast spectrum of material. Fans who wanted to dance to songs from Behaviour, Bilingual, Nightlife, and Release were sadly disappointed, but there were probably a scarce amount of those who cared to notice.

"That one's for you, New York," stated Neil after fan favorite "West End Girls", a track which was originally recorded at NYC's Unique Studios back in 1984 and was inspired by legendary NYC rapper Grandmaster Flash.

While rapper Example wasn't present to drop his lines in the track "Thursday", he showed up via video to bowl through his section without fail (mainly because it was, you know, recorded).

Pet Shop Boys' music has been the soundtrack to several parties and personal trials and tribulations for 30 years, and it's not hard to see why they have such a dedicated fanbase. With every song, fans hooted and hollared. "This song means everything," yelled a male fan during "Miracles".

Even though Pet Shop Boys clearly had enough energy between the two of them, it didn't stop them from inviting some a dancing duo to help shake things up a bit. Whether they were emulating Beyonce with cow skulls on their heads or displaying eloquent ballroom dancing during the cover of Leonard Bernstein's "Somewhere" , the duo, at times, overshadowed the electronic act. The highlight of the night was their choreography for the Brenda Lee cover "Always On My Mind". The dancers gave life to every word sung with a grand visual presentation capped off with a massive confetti shower.

If there is any sort of bar that's strictly plays electronic music, Pet Shop Boys' cover of The Village People's "Go West" would be the go-to song for drunken sing alongs. Halfway through their final song "Vocal", Neil and Chris, along with the dancers, exited the stage with the rest of the track still blaring on the monitors. It didn't halt the crowd and their steadily moving feet. It was just another day in the office for Pet Shop Boys.