I had a great time seeing The Fixx and Berlin live this past Thursday night, July 21st 2005.
I owe my happiness to my friend John who, at the last minute, gave me an extra ticket he had.
I'd not seen either band live before, but of course I've spun music from them at my events, and grown up hearing their songs at clubs and on the radio. So I was really excited to see both acts.
I got there right on time and luckily was able to snag a coveted front row spot, near the right side - a perfect place to take photos and see the show from.
The Fixx promptly took to the stage - 5 minutes early in fact! Though I was impressed by their set, I remember thinking that to me, they sound a lot better recorded. (Was it just me who thought the vocals were WAY too low during The Fixx's performance?). Still, I was thrilled to no end to hear "Stand Or Fall" (those tell-tale guitar chords sent shivers through me) - Cy Curnin said at the beginning of the song, "Do you remember where you were when you first heard this one?" Do I ever! I was sitting in my bedroom in New York listening to a station called 92.7 WDRE which introduced me to ALL of the music I listen to today.
I was most impressed by the song "Fatal Shore" that they did - I just LOVED the strong driving guitar in that piece. "The Fool" was also fantastic - what a great bassline. During "Deeper And Deeper" I thought that I *must* play this at the next SACCHARINE. That's the beauty of live shows - remembering and rediscovering how wonderful certain songs are.
"Red Skies" was also a definite highlight and the surprise of the night was when The Fixx returned for an encore and performed "Saved By Zero" (not listed on their setlist). Before launching into the song, Cy said that the world has gone fucking mad and encouraged us to live in the moment. I totally agreed! At the end I got to shake the lead guitarist's hand, too - I thought that was very cool.
Next is when the show just got out of control. I had no idea what to expect from Berlin but I literally was saying wow throughout their entire set. Such energy! Such craziness! I can honestly even say that I was completely turned on by their set - it was that hot!
Teri Nunn began the show signing from the balcony above the left part of the stage - then she joined the rest of the band members on stage. She looked so beautiful - her bright blond platinum hair had dark ends, her nails were painted bright red and black, and she was wearing black high heels with a red velvet corset top, a long black velvet skirt, and (at the beginning) a see-through glittery jacket/sweater that was floor-length.
I was also particularly taken by the lead guitarist, who had purple hair very similar to my own, both in length and style. When Teri Nunn asked the audience "Don't you just want to kiss him?" ... well, I think the answer is obvious!
Below are the setlists from both bands (my favorite songs are starred), and select pictures that I took at the gig are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/medusa242 Enjoy!
The Fixx:
1. Touch
2. Driven Out
3. How Much Is Enough?
4. Liner
5. Secret Separation
6. Fatal Shore *
7. Life Goes On
8. Everyone Believes In Something
9. Remember Me When I'm Gone
10. Stand Or Fall
11. The Fool *
12. One Thing Leads To Another
13. Deeper And Deeper *
14. Red Skies *
15. Saved By Zero *
Berlin:
1. When We Make Love
2. No More Words *
3. Now It's My Turn
4. Shiny
5. The Metro
6. With A Touch (Acoustic)
7. Pleasure Victim (Acoustic)
8. Scream *
9. Erotic City
10. Down & Dirty
11. Take My Breath Away
12. Masquerade
13. Sex (I'm A ...) *
14. Never Let Me Down Again
Cheers
DJ Medusa.
