It has been a long time since I had written a concert blog and it feels really good to write another one.
On October 2 my brother and I went to our fifth Psychedelic Furs show at the Silva Concert Hall in Eugene, Oregon. It was one of the most wonderful, beautiful and emotional nights for me. I can't believe I finally saw them after waiting for four years.
I remember when I arrived home after seeing The Furs for the fourth time in 2019 I thought of how in 2020 the band would go on tour to promote the upcoming (at the time) Made Of Rain, their first album in 29 years, and getting to hear more of the new songs live. I was ready for it and I felt in my heart that 2020 would be a great year for The Psychedelic Furs and for us fans.
But sadly 2020 took a turn for the worse with the pandemic happening and because of that The Psychedelic Furs had to postpone the Made Of Rain tour. I was heartbroken for the band because I knew they were looking forward to touring for the new album and performing the new songs. Why did the pandemic have to come at that point in time and ruin everything? It just wasn't fair.
Even though the tour got delayed, at least we were all fortunate enough to be treated with the release of Made Of Rain, which is a beautiful album. But we all waited patiently for the tour to happen, whenever that may be.
In the Autumn of 2021 The Psychedelic Furs started doing some shows on the East Coast and I was happy they finally got to play the new songs. On YouTube someone uploaded the full concert at one of their shows and I watched the whole thing. The Made Of Rain songs sounded awesome (I actually teared up) and I wanted to hear them so much with my own ears.
The Furs toured again in 2022 and during the Summer that year they went to two towns in Oregon, Forest Grove and Jacksonville. I was surprised not seeing Portland because the band always goes there whenever they would tour. I really wanted to go to those shows, but sadly I wasn't able to. I was disappointed but I hoped I would have the chance to see The Furs again soon.
Fast forward to 2023 The Psychedelic Furs toured for a little bit in the Spring, and soon after that they announced a tour in the Fall. They were coming back to Oregon again, this time in Eugene, at the Silva Concert Hall, which is located in a building called the Hult Center for the Performing Arts. This was my time to go, and so I bought two tickets; one for me and one for my brother, who's always my concert buddy. I didn't get the front row tickets because they were too expensive, so I just got the seated ones a little further back which were much cheaper. I wasn't bummed out that I didn't get the front row ones, because what mattered most was seeing The Psychedelic Furs for the first time in four years. Plus it's good for my feet too, since my job is overnight stocking and I walk a lot.
In late August at work I requested to have October 2nd off and two weeks later it got approved. Then I discovered to my relief that on my work schedule I got the day before the concert off! I had a feeling I was going to work on that day but I got it off instead. I could just rest at home before the big day.
But the plans for October 1st changed because at around 5:00 PM my brother called me on the phone and asked me if I wanted to go to Bend with him to visit his fiance. He said that we'll spend the night there at a motel, and on the next day head over to Eugene. I heartily said yes, and so I got ready, packed my stuff, and at around 6:30 my brother came to pick me up and we drove over to Bend. When we got there the three of us went out for dinner, then went to the motel which my brother's fiance paid for, and went to bed.
I went to bed at about 11:00 PM and unfortunately I didn't get enough sleep. I had passed out three times but they only lasted an hour. When I woke up the third time, it was 3:55 AM and I tried to go back to sleep but I just couldn't. I wasn't used to sleeping in a motel bed (the last time I slept at a motel was 13 years ago) and I forgot to bring an old T-shirt that I always use to cover my eyes when I sleep. So it was hard trying to fall asleep with my eyes uncovered.
At around 6:30 AM my brother's fiance left to go to work and my brother and I tried to sleep a little more; but all of a sudden my brother didn't feel tired so we just got ready at 7:00 and left the motel. We did some sightseeing in Bend for a little bit and before we left the city we stopped by where my brother's fiance worked. We visited him on his work break, and after that we headed out to Eugene. Instead of going on the freeway, we went on a different route that was more scenic, with mountains and forests. While we were on that route we stopped at this place and stayed there for a little bit. It was really nice and quiet.
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| Photo by me. |
After that my brother and I headed on to Eugene and we got there at around 4:30 PM. We found the Hult Center for the Performing Arts and parked at the venue's parking area. It was actually raining in Eugene and I liked to think the rain appeared because The Psychedelic Furs were there, and too it fits the theme of Made Of Rain. My brother and I did some more sightseeing, and at 6:30 we went inside the venue.
We saw the merchandise area and went over there to see what they had and I bought two things. I got a T-shirt that has the band's name with the purple star behind it, and to my delight a hoodie that says The Psychedelic Furs on it. I always wanted to have a band hoodie and I am happy it's a Psychedelic Furs one. I feel like it represents who I am.
So then my brother and I went into the Silva Concert Hall, and I think I read that it was built in 1982 and the interior is supposed to resemble a theater from the 19th century. We found our seats, sat down, and waited during intermission.
The opening band Squeeze came on and they were fun to watch. I'm only familiar with a few of their songs because a couple of Squeeze's songs were in the Rock Band video game which my brother and I used to play, and the song I remembered the most was "Tempted". They played that song and it was great hearing it. While Squeeze was performing the thought of seeing The Psychedelic Furs in a moment entered my head and I got super emotional. I tried not to cry but a tear escaped out of my eye. I wiped my eye and composed myself. I couldn't believe it would happen soon.
After Squeeze performed we waited during the second intermission and it was so cool seeing the new look of The Psychedelic Furs' drum kit. And then at last, the moment I had been waiting for came. The lights went dim, the introduction music started, and The Psychedelic Furs arrived on stage. The band members were the ones to arrive first, and after when they got settled in their positions vocalist Richard Butler appeared. When I first saw them walk on stage the tears were finally let loose and I started crying. It was actually happening, and how did I live without seeing The Psychedelic Furs for four long years?? It absolutely felt like old times again, before all the crazy things happened in the world.
The newest member to fill in former drummer Paul Garisto's place on the drums was Zachary Alford, who first joined The Psychedelic Furs in 2021. It was cool to finally see Zach in action and he's an awesome addition to the band. And it was so wonderful to see saxophonist Mars Williams back on the stage. When The Furs did the first part of the 2023 tour Mars was sadly unable to join them because he had been going through treatment. I can't imagine a Psychedelic Furs show without Mars. He's part of what makes The Psychedelic Furs' music so great and he's incredible on the saxophone. I hope Mars is enjoying the tour and I hope his health continues to improve and get better. I shouted out "We love you Mars" twice and I don't know if my voice was loud enough but I hope he heard me.
On my blog about the second concert I attended I mentioned that the setlist for the 2016 tour was my favorite setlist, mainly because two other songs from Midnight To Midnight were played, "Angels Don't Cry" and "All Of The Law". But this setlist... it is definitely the best one for me. All of the songs were so fantastic but I will talk about the ones that stood out to me the most.
The Psychedelic Furs played "In My Head" from their 1991 album World Outside and it was delightful hearing it. It's one of my favorite songs on that album. And the Made Of Rain songs.... Wow.... they were so amazing and I finally got to listen to them live! I'll start with "Wrong Train" first. In 2015 when I first saw The Furs, they played this song but at the time I wasn't familiar with it. But now since it's on Made Of Rain it was great hearing the song. "This'll Never Be Like Love" was very fantastic, especially when guitarist Rich Good and Mars Williams gave it their all at the end. They played beautifully.
But the two songs from Made Of Rain that made me become very emotional were "No-One" and "You'll Be Mine". As I said many times, "No-One" is my favorite Psychedelic Furs song of all time and I was in tears when they played that song. I was so glad I got to hear my favorite PFurs song in person. It was glorious. I was in awe throughout the whole song.
After when The Psychedelic Furs performed "Heaven" I knew "You'll Be Mine" was next since I looked at the setlists from the previous shows. And let me tell you, the performance of "You'll Be Mine" was something that I will never forget. It's one of those moments that stay with you forever and it makes me emotional, even cry, thinking about it. It sort of felt like a religious experience in some way, and in my opinion it was even more powerful live. On my review of the Made Of Rain album I wrote that if I heard "You'll Be Mine" live I would probably break down in tears. And it turned out I was right all along. I cried throughout the whole song and even though I really wanted to sing, I couldn't and just remained silent. It's hard to believe that three years ago when "You'll Be Mine" first came out the world was in shambles. I didn't know what would happen in the coming days, weeks, and years, and I felt like all was lost. But as I listened to the music, even though the song's about death, it gave me hope. Back then I never imagined I would be back at a concert, three years later, seeing The Psychedelic Furs and hearing them play "You'll Be Mine". It meant so much to me that they played this song and I want to thank the band with all my heart for doing that.
There was no encore this time, and when the lights came back on my brother and I left our seats and went out. Deep down I was kind of hoping we would stay for a little bit, in case we were lucky enough to meet Rich Good again but we left right away. My brother had to be at work at 11:00 AM and the drive home was an hour and a half.
My fifth Psychedelic Furs show, and my first concert in the 2020s, was absolutely wonderful. I never wanted that day to end and I wish I can go back in time to relive it all over again. I can't believe it actually happened and I really hope I will see them again next year.
Before I end this blog I want to mention something special happened during that day, and I would like to show you all. It's in this gift box right here and I will open it now:
Ta-da. Isn't it awesome? What do you all think?
Seriously though, it's in a different gift box that I keep in my heart. This is something that I have to keep to myself and believe me, I wish I can tell you all but it is too important and sacred to let it out. But I will only tell you how I feel about what happened.
How could an ordinary person like me deserve this? I feel like I am not worthy to have this happen to me. I never imagined something like this would happen in my life and I feel so happy, thankful and blessed. I wish I can think of many more words to say, but I will never forget what happened on that day for the rest of my life. It absolutely made my whole night and it means a lot to me. <3
Thank you for reading.
Setlist:
1. Into You Like A Train
2. Mr. Jones
3. Heaven
4. You'll Be Mine
5. Wrong Train
6. President Gas
7. The Ghost In You
8. In My Head
9. Pretty In Pink
10. No-One
11. This'll Never Be Like Love
12. Sister Europe
13. Heartbeat
14. Love My Way
15. Heartbreak Beat
*All concert photos by me*
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