80's Baby!!!

For those of us who spent our formative years in the 80’s, New Wave was unmistakably the heart of our musical identity as a generation. We grew up in an era that brought us the birth of MTV when it actually played music videos rather than an array of trashy reality shows that are in constant rotation today. When I heard that the tribute bands of Depeche Mode and The Cure will be playing at the Canal Room (W. Broadway on Canal) on Wednesday night, I was so excited to relive the 80’s New Wave Rave with my friend Kevin – also a big fan of aforementioned bands and 80’s music.

Unfortunately Kevin had a work charity function to attend and wasn’t able to make it until 9. Since the show started at 8, I didn’t want to go alone or miss the first hour so I decided to skip the event and moped around in my PJs instead watching the season finale of One Tree Hill. At 9:15 Kevin called and said “I’m here and they haven’t even started yet. Get your ass out of your PJ’s and come now!” I’ve never changed so fast and was in a cab and at the lounge in 10 minutes.

Blasphemous Rumours (Depeche Mode’s tribute band) was the opening act and had only performed one song by the time I got there. They sounded a lot like the real band and completed their look with nut-hugging costumes. The middle age chubby lead singer (I snagged a pic with him) even did the signature spin while playing People are People. After countless familiar songs, they ended their act with the band’s popular Just Can't Get Enough and Enjoy the Silence which the crowd went wild for.

Then The Cured (obviously tribute to The Cure) came on stage and looked every bit the part. They got The Cure DOWN with the crazy hair, pale skin, black eyeliner, and smudged lipstick. They opened with a dead-on rendition of Just Like Heaven - the lead singer even had all the mannerisms of Robert Smith. We were front row and center singing and dancing along to Friday I’m in Love, Lullaby (which I thought was from The Crow soundtrack but later found out it was Burn which they did not play), Love Song, and many more I can’t remember (sorry I’m not a true Cure fan like the guy next to me who knew every word to every song). When they ended their show with The Forest, a song I did not know, I was severely disappointed they did not play Pictures of You which everyone also kept screaming for. As predicted, they got back on stage and performed my favorite Cure song. Kev and I left soon after with feelings of euphoria and nostalgia, wishing it was 1987 all over again. I got in the cab and sadly returned home to 2007.