Concert Ads #45

On the 3rd and 4th of September in 1984 The Psychedelic Furs played their first two Japanese shows at the Yomiuri Hall in Tokyo, Japan during the Mirror Moves tour. It looks like tickets were ¥3,900 and the advanced ones were ¥3,000.

In Loving Memory: Mars Williams

Photo by me.

It has been three days now and to me it doesn't even feel like it actually happened. I'm still trying to come to terms with it but it just feels so unreal to me. I feel like I'm in a bad dream but unfortunately I am not. On November 20, Mars Williams, the great saxophonist of The Psychedelic Furs, sadly passed away after a year-long battle with cancer.

When I first heard the news I was devastated, heartbroken, and I cried a lot. I didn't even want to go to work that night because I was too overcome with grief. I arrived at work anyway, but I was depressed while being there and when I got home in the morning, I went to bed and cried again.

I remember I was in tears when David Bowie passed but the death of Mars Williams hurts me even more. He played on the music which made an impact on my life for nine years, and getting to see him perform at the five PFurs concerts I went to was spectacular. But the heartbreaking thing is that I last saw him in concert just a month ago.

Looking back on the night I saw The Psychedelic Furs for the fifth time it never entered my head that it would be my final time seeing Mars Williams perform with The Furs in person. I found out from reading on the latest update on his GoFundMe that in late Summer Mars' treatment options were coming to an end, and so he decided to join The Furs on the Fall tour with the time he had left. I believe in my heart that that was his way of saying goodbye and thank you to the fans, and I'm happy he got the chance to be with the band and doing what he loved one last time.

There will never be another saxophonist who can capture the same sound that Mars had. Every note, every solo, was filled with pure magic, both studio and live, and they always leave me in awe. The Psychedelic Furs songs Mars performed on were wonderful, like "Heartbeat", "Like A Stranger", the rerecording of "Pretty In Pink", "Heartbreak Beat", "Shock", "Angels Don't Cry", "The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll", "This'll Never Be Like Love", and many more. Live, Mars was so amazing, and I feel honored to have seen him in action five times. Mars added his own style to the earlier songs and performed outstanding solos, and he would get cheers from the audience every time he did that. On my blog post about last month's concert I wrote that Mars Williams was part of what made The Psychedelic Furs' music so great and I couldn't imagine a concert without him, one of the key ingredients to The Furs. And sadly, now that Mars is gone, it will never be the same like it was before.

Even though I am sad about what happened, I am glad that Mars is free from the pain at last. I'm glad he doesn't have to deal with his illness anymore and I pray that he is in a better place now. My love, sympathy, and thoughts go out to the band, to Mars' family and friends, and to everyone who had worked with him.

Rest in peace Mars Williams. Thank you for everything you did for The Psychedelic Furs. Your music and legacy will live on forever. <3

{May 29, 1955 – November 20, 2023}

Photo: Matthew Reeves

Concert Ads #44

On February 14, 1984 The Psychedelic Furs performed at the Pabellón Municipal La Casilla in Bilbao, Spain. Opening act was Jotakie.

Pretty In Pink Ad #2

A UK advertisement promoting The Psychedelic Furs' "Pretty In Pink" single.