Trebuie sa recunosc ca dupa 2005, si in special in 2008, cand s-a lansat Go Away White, am avut mari sperante ca o sa prind un concert Bauhaus. Si cu sperantele am ramas, pentru ca Bauhaus s-au despartit imediat dupa lansarea albumului. Evident ca mi-am scos ideea din minte, pentru ca parea extrem de improbabil sa se reuneasca inca o data si sa-i prind intr-un concert pe undeva. Pe la inceputul lunii martie, totusi, ma uitam pe side-line.com si am vazut anuntul unui turneu aniversar de 35 de ani, doar cu Peter Murphy din vechiul line-up. Recunosc ca am fost cea mai sceptica fata de aceasta veste, pentru ca mi se parea artificial sa sarbatoresti in formula incompleta. Cu toate acestea, atunci cand s-a ivit ocazia de a ajunge intr-unul din orasele din turneu, pur si simplu nu am putut spune nu. Poate, pe principiul ‘better late than never’ 🙂

O sa incep prin a descrie putin clubul din Roma in care a avut loc concertul. Orion este un fost club dance in care au inceput sa se tina si concerte live relativ recent. Desi nu arata deosebit din punct de vedere al decorarii interioare, are foarte multe plusuri si m-as reintoarce oricand cu placere, pentru un alt concert. Este spatios, amenajat in forma de amfiteatru, asa ca publicul care voia sa danseze statea in partea din fata scenei, iar cei mai linistiti au putut ramane sus pe trepte. Este foarte bine dotat in termeni de sunet si lumini. Este foarte relaxat si te face sa te simti bine pur si simplu, odata ajuns acolo. Nu am fost intrebata nimic de aparatul foto, acreditari si alte prostii de care mi-a ajuns acasa, de fapt nu am fost intrebati de nimic altceva in afara de bilet. Fumatul e interzis, am vazut o singura persoana fumand in timpul concertului, restul publicului a fost civilizat si a fumat afara, in curte.

Ca vorbeam de public, in marea majoritate era trecut de prima tinerete, aproape toti imbracati goth, foarte multi cu tricouri cu Bauhaus, cateva fete in rochii goth elegante. Ce mi-a placut a fost naturaletea lor, erau deloc ostentativi. Per ansamblu si lasand muzica la o parte, mi-a facut placere sa fiu acolo.

In deschidere a cantat o trupa locala, Bohemien. Din pacate noi nu am prins-o de la inceput din cauza ca am intarziat nitel. Nu vreau sa spun prea multe despre o trupa dupa ce abia am auzit-o interpretand vreo 3 piese, dar din ce am auzit stilul musical era bine ales si asemanator cu ceea ce canta Bauhaus, un post-punk care nu suna rau. Publicul era adunat in fata scenei si-i incuraja. Am auzit despre scena din Italia ca nu o fi ea prea mare, dar e unita, lucru care m-a impresionat.

Dupa o pauza scurta, pe scena apar Peter Murphy si colegii lui de trupa. Incepe show-ul si recunosc, primele piese nu reuseste sa-mi transmita nimic. Sunt interpretate corect, dar parca lipsite de orice traire. Ma gandesc ca asta e, a trecut prea mult timp si nu putem trai din amintiri. Ma mut in spate si schimb ceva setari la aparat, si aud de pe scena In the Flat Field, impecabil. Simt fiori, ma gandesc, dumnezeule, muzica asta s-a nascut o data cu mine, nu-mi pot aminti in cate imprejurari nu am ascultat-o, si e unica si proaspata si minunata de fiecare data cand o reascult. Dar mirajul piere din nou, odata cu ultimele ei acorduri. Vreau sa zic, totul avea un aer de nostalgie, de trecut readus in fata noastra si cam atat. Ma resemnasem pana si dupa Kick in the Eye, pana la mijlocul concertului mie personal mi s-a parut ca nimic nu se lega.

Absolut totul s-a schimbat cu A Strange Kind of Love, pe care Peter Murphy l-a dedicat tuturor. Nu pot spune ca e una din piesele mele preferate din discografia lui Peter Murphy, poate pentru ca-mi pare excesiv de sentimentala. Dar ascultand-o in concert, nu-mi venea sa cred cat de potrivit suna, cat de sensibil, cat de mult poate sa ma emotioneze. Unul din baietii din trupa a facut un solo de vioara pe refren, si absolut totul, de la sunet la jocul de scena, era de nedescris de minunat. In continuare totul a sunat snur, trupa abia daca mai facea pauze intre piese. Au continuat imediat cu Bela Lugosi’s Dead, un clasic care suna la fel de intunecos si rece precum criptele pe care le vizitasem in dupa-amiaza respectiva in Roma. O interpretare ireprosabila, o voce care suna aproape ca acum 35 de ani, incredibil… Dupa The Passion of Lovers, a urmat She’s in Parties, unde publicul si-a dat drumul bine. In fata scenei, toata lumea dansa, iar Peter Murphy n-a fost nevoit sa mai cante finalul, pentru ca o faceam noi, asa ca si-a facut de lucru pe la tobe. Povestea s-a repetat la Dark Entries, nu stiu daca era rolul cuiva din trupa sa repete pe refren dark entries, dark entries, dar stiu ca toata lumea in jurul meu o facea.

Finalul a fost un cover Dead Can Dance, Severance. Un encore nu s-a lasat deloc asteptat, au revenit pentru Telegram Sam si Ziggy Stardust. Din pacate prea scurt, eu abia intrasem in atmosfera si l-as fi putut asculta cu placere inca mult timp.

Ma bucur ca, dupa 35 de ani, am avut ocazia sa-l vad macar pe Peter Murphy si o parte din muzica Bauhaus. Sunt legende, si la mai mult de atat nu puteam oricum sa iau parte, in zilele noastre. The Godfather of Goth e suficient, peste vocea lui nu au trecut anii. Oricum sunt de parere ca trecerea timpului si distanta ne fac sa idealizam, poate mai mult decat e cazul. Peste 35 de ani poate o sa povestesc cu prietenii mei despre concertul din week-end si celor mai tineri care o sa ne asculte, o sa li se para ca au pentru ce sa ne invidieze. Daca o sa se intample asta, o sa le spun ca prezentul e cel mai frumos moment 🙂

Setlist:
King volcano
Kingdom’s Coming
Double Dare
In the Flat Field
God in an Alcove
Boys
The Three Shadows
Silent Hedges
Kick in the Eye
Too Much 21st Century
A Strange Kind of Love
Bela Lugosi’s Dead
The Passion of Lovers
She’s in Parties
Stigmata Martyr
Dark Entries
Severance
Encore:
Telegram Sam
Ziggy Stardust

Ana Maria C. / video Marius P.

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After their reunion in 2005 and especially in 2008, when Go Away White was released, I must confess I had high hopes to see Bauhaus live. And hopes was all it was, because Bauhaus split immediately after the album was done. Of course I forgot about any plan to see them live, since it seamed unlikely for them to reunite once again. At the beginning of March though, I was browsing side-line.com and I noticed some news about a 35 years anniversary tour, just with Peter Murphy from the old line-up. I was skeptical towards this, it seemed artificial to celebrate in an incomplete formula. I happened to be in one of the cities during their tour, and I just couldn’t say no to their show. Maybe because it’s ‘better late than never’ 🙂

I will start by describing the club in Rome where the concert was held. Orion is a former dance club which started to host live concerts not so long ago. Though it doesn’t look exquisite in terms of interior design, it has its strong points and I will gladly return for a second gig. It’s wide, arranged like an amphitheatre, so people who wanted to dance stayed in front of the stage, while the quite ones had plenty of space up, on the stairs. It’s well equipped in terms of sound and lights. The atmosphere is very relaxed and meant to make you feel good once you get there. I was not asked about my photo camera, photo pass or any other nonsense I had enough back home. As a matter of fact, I was only asked about my ticket. Smoking is prohibited, I only saw one person smoking inside, the rest was well mannered and went outside.

Speaking of the public, the vast majority was passed their youth, almost all wore goth outfits, most of them Bauhaus t-shirts, some girls with elegant goth dresses. They all acted natural, not trying to show off. Music aside, I enjoyed being there.

A local band named Bohemien was the opening act. Unfortunately we were late and only listened to the second part of their show. So I won’t say that much about them since I barely heard 3 songs, but in terms of musical genre they fitted in, they sang some post-punk, not bad. I heard the music stage in Italy is not big, but united, and that impressed me.

After a short break, Peter Murphy and his band went on the stage. The show begun and I must say the first songs didn’t send me any vibe. They were well executed, right, but it seemed to lack any emotion. That’s it, I thought, time passed for them and we can’t live out of memories. I moved somewhere in the back and tried to change the settings of my photo cam, and that’s when In the Flat Field begun, impeccably. Shivers went through my spine, I thought, oh my God, this music was born the same time I did and I can’t recall all the moments I listened it, still it’s unique and fresh and wonderful, even if I hear it over again. But the mirage disappeared once the song was over. I mean, the show had a nostalgic vibe, like a reanimated past, but that was about it. I resigned myself even when I heard Kick in the Eye, and till half of the show in my opinion nothing seemed to be coherent.

It all changed after A Strange Kind of Love, a song which Peter Murphy dedicated to all of us. I can’t say it’s one of my favorites from Peter Murphy’s single discography, maybe because it sounds a little too sentimental for me. But when I heard it live, I couldn’t believe how appropriate, how emotional it sounded and how much I was touched. One of the guys in the band did a violin solo on the chorus, and everything from the sound to the stage act looked inexpressibly wonderful. After that everything was awesome, the band barely stopped between songs. They immediately continued with Bela Lugosi’s Dead, a cult classic which still sounds as cold and dark as the crypts I just visited in Rome. They sung impeccable, the voice sounded unbelievable, almost like 35 years ago… After The Passion of Lovers, next was She’s in Parties, where the public really got the party started. Everybody was dancing in front of the stage, and Peter Murphy didn’t have to sing the ending because we did, so he performed part of the drum set. The story repeated with Dark Entries, I don’t know if someone in the band had to repeat those words but I know everyone around me did it.

The final song was a Dead Can Dance cover, Severance. An encore was not long expected, they came back for Telegram Sam and Ziggy Stardust. Way to short I’m afraid, I was just beginning to feel the vibe and I would have been delighted to listen to them for a long time, now.

I’m happy that I had the chance, after 35 years, to see at least Peter Murphy and part of Bauhaus music. They’re legend and I couldn’t be witness to more, nowadays. It’s enough I saw the Godfather of Goth, years didn’t left traces on his voice. I feel that time passing and distance make us all idealize things more than it’s necessary. Maybe in another 35 years’ time, me and my friends will remember the concert from last weekend and some younger persons will think they have reasons to envy us. If that would happen, I’ll surely tell them the most beautiful moment is here and now :).

Setlist:
King volcano
Kingdom’s Coming
Double Dare
In the Flat Field
God in an Alcove
Boys
The Three Shadows
Silent Hedges
Kick in the Eye
Too Much 21st Century
A Strange Kind of Love
Bela Lugosi’s Dead
The Passion of Lovers
She’s in Parties
Stigmata Martyr
Dark Entries
Severance
Encore:
Telegram Sam
Ziggy Stardust

Ana Maria C. / video Marius P.