It’s a sin that the Pet Shop Boys haven’t played in Aberdeen in over 30 years, but they made up for it in spectacular fashion with an astonishingly blinding show at P&J Live last night.
Entering the arena, the anticipation from the crowd was palpable as a stage glowing with the colours of the Ukraine flag lay in waiting for arguably two of the most iconic musicians of the last four decades to make their entrance.
And what an entrance it was.
Two lamp posts ascended from beneath the stage, all of a sudden illuminating a pair of stark white coated figures adorned in bizarre geometric masks resembling tuning forks to the sound of a dramatic fanfare, which quickly turned into the instantly recognisable fan favourite, Suburbia – and that my friends, is how you start a show.
Fans were Domino Dancing in the aisles to classic tracks when Pet Shop Boys came to Aberdeen
The seating plan quickly became irrelevant, as the adoring crowd leapt from their chairs to their feet, hands in the air, ready to worship the 80s icons.
Kicking off with a space-age, psychedelic light show that would rival any Glastonbury headlining act, and swiftly rolling into Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money), the tone was set. This was going to be a blinder of a concert.
Legendary musical duo Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe might have been on the go for longer than some of the audience have been alive, but the clarity of vocals and precision of the synth packed tunes were as piercingly fresh as the first play of whichever vinyl/cassette/CD you first heard them on.
‘In Dreamworld being boring is a sin’
Amongst the flurry of hit songs, costume changes, and incredibly impressive set transformations, Tennant took the time to charm the already beguiled and bouncing crowd with tales of the origins of some of their smash hits, inviting fans into a “dreamworld of memories”.
Backed by one of the funkiest bands I can say I’ve ever seen, wearing what can only be described as disco choir robes, the icons smashed their way through classics like Jealousy, Go West, and West End Girls, and we lapped up every nostalgic moment.
The lights continued to morph and dazzle, the songs continued to whip the crowd into a frenzy, and the Pet Shop Boys left Aberdeen in a dreamworld that we would be more than happy not to wake up from.
Please don’t leave it so long again next time boys, because you are always on our minds.
The tour continues. Find tickets here.
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