*Author's note*: While I'm excited to write about the concert and what happened during that day, I just want to let you all know that there are a few things I'm going to leave out of this blog, mainly for sentimental reasons. Thank you and hope you enjoy.
On the 30th of October I saw The Psychedelic Furs for the sixth time at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon, and I know I keep saying this every time I see The Furs but I had one of the most awesome nights (maybe the best night??) of my life. It's been a week now since the day of the concert but I'm still in shock and over the moon about everything that happened. And to be honest the happiest I've ever felt in months.
The last time I talked about the tour was back in June when I got the tickets and I mentioned my brother wasn't able to go because he couldn't get the day of the concert and Halloween off. So my dad said he would go with me and he eventually got the 30th off; and I did as well.
But two unexpected things happened during October. The first is I got a text from my brother and he had exciting news. He was able to get those two days off! I was so happy, I really wanted him to go and I was glad things worked out after all. The second thing is on Instagram I got a DM from a Psychedelic Furs fan named Juli. We both follow each other on social media and on the Fall 2024 tour she saw The Furs a few times on the East Coast. Juli told me that at one of the concerts she attended she sent the guitarist Rich Good a present for him to give to me at the Portland concert (Juli and Rich are actually friends in real life). I was so touched, I thanked Juli and told her how sweet she was to do that for me, and then suddenly a thought occurred.... I would meet Rich Good again... It would be my first time meeting Rich in seven years. Last year at the concert in Eugene I didn't have the chance to meet Rich because my brother and I left the venue right away since he had to go to work the next day, and my brother said he felt bad about the whole thing. Even though it didn't work out Rich and I messaged each other on Instagram throughout the day so at least we did get in touch. But to actually meet Rich again, after all these years?
Since I would be seeing Rich I thought this was a perfect opportunity to write another letter to The Psychedelic Furs, and so I began working on it during my lunch breaks at work and at home on my days off. When I started to write my first letter back in 2017 I wrote it in the Notes app on my old iPod Touch because if I wrote it in my notebook I would probably waste a bunch of paper. This year I did the same thing, but what I don't like about my Android phone is that it doesn't have its own notepad. So I thought of writing it as a draft on my blog and when I finished it, on the day before the concert, I finally wrote it in the notebook and deleted the draft. I tore the letter out of my notebook, sealed it in an envelope, and put it in my purse. And then I thought of something. I wished I bought a little gift for Rich Good, but with me being busy and tired from work I didn't even think of it. But suddenly an idea entered my head. I had a collection of shells, pebbles, and sea glass that I found during my visits to the Oregon Coast, and since Rich lives in the desert area in California I thought he would like to have a little piece of the Coast. I put the shells in a little bag, tied it up and tucked it in my purse along with my letter.
On the day of the concert I woke up at 5:20 in the morning and I got a text from my brother and he said he's on his way from Bend. I took a shower, got dressed, and packed up my stuff since my brother and I will be spending the night at a hotel. At around 8:50 my brother arrived and visited our family for a little bit, and then we left. Before we entered Portland we stopped at a Japanese ramen place in Beaverton and it was really good. I never had authentic ramen before so it was a fun experience.
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| My vegetable ramen. |
After we ate we drove over to Portland and parked the car in a parking garage that was two miles away from the Crystal Ballroom. Then we walked over to the venue and stood by the entrance. There was a man and woman standing near the entrance as well and they brought their vinyl records with them. I saw they had Mirror Moves and the US pressing of The Psychedelic Furs' debut. I have to mention that it was pouring (as you would expect here in the Pacific Northwest) but I didn't mind at all; I love the rain.
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| The tour bus! |
My brother and I were able to hear the soundcheck through the rain and traffic, and as I looked at my surroundings I became emotional. The first time I saw The Psychedelic Furs was at this very same venue, the Crystal Ballroom,
all the way in 2015, and back then I never imagined I would be here again, nine years later, at my 6th Psychedelic Furs concert. I feel like I've come a long way since then, and I'm absolutely grateful to have these wonderful memories.
A little later the venue door opened and a couple people came out and right behind them was.... Rich Good himself. Rich instantly saw me and came over and hugged me. I was so happy and excited to see him, I couldn't help crying a little bit. Rich opened his backpack and took out a tiny box. It was Juli's present for me and inside the box were two beautiful bracelets. In the box there was a note from Juli and she wrote that the bracelets were made out of Rich's guitar strings that he used during the Autumn tour of last year. I actually remember during that time Juli messaged me and asked if I wanted to have the bracelets. Even though I wanted them, I sadly declined because I didn't want to give out my address for privacy reasons. It was so sweet of Juli to think of me after all this time.
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| The bracelets. |
I gave Rich my letter, and before I took out the bag of shells I asked Rich if he had ever been to the Oregon Coast and he told me he went there a long time ago. I gave Rich the shells and he loved them. Rich gave me two guitar picks that he used during soundcheck and we got a picture together. After that Rich had to go to a hotel, and we said goodbye. I couldn't believe it. Did that really happen or was I dreaming? I finally got to see Rich Good again. I was feeling total bliss and I excitedly texted the picture of me and Rich to my dear friend Mary, who was happy for me.
Then 30 minutes later, while my brother and I were looking at his phone, the door opened and someone walked past us. I didn't look up to see who came out of the venue but suddenly I heard the man and woman with the vinyl records shout: "Richard!!" I froze. I realized Richard Butler walked by my brother and I. Richard Butler, the vocalist of The Psychedelic Furs. The two people ran up to Richard and asked him to sign their records. I still didn't look up because I didn't want to be nosy, and due to my shyness I didn't want to disturb Richard but yet.... I wanted to have that chance to meet him. I looked at my brother and I asked him "Should we?" But he told me we shouldn't. I accepted his advice. I have to admit I was kind of disappointed, but as much as I wanted to meet Richard Butler I'm glad we didn't approach him since we knew he was busy and had things to do. I also saw drummer Zachary Alford and keyboardist Amanda Kramer, but I didn't want to bother them.
When the doors were almost about to be opened more people showed up, and the venue employees were getting ready to scan the tickets. Suddenly there was a line of people who were coming out of the restaurant next to the Crystal Ballroom, and they went inside the venue first. Then I realized in a panic. They got the $15 deal. I remember when my brother and I went to see The Psychedelic Furs for the fourth time in 2019, which was at the Crystal Ballroom again, we went inside that restaurant and we were told that if we spend $15 on food and drinks we would get into the Ballroom a little earlier than the regular line. I wasn't sure if the restaurant was still doing that this year, but I guess they were. And then another thing happened which made me panic even more. We were not in the right line after all so we had to go back a little more. Thankfully the line wasn't long but I felt upset. We had been standing outside the venue since 2:00 PM and we were basically there first. It wasn't fair that we had to go back.
After my tickets were scanned we went through the metal detectors, and my brother went to get a drink while I hurriedly went up to the third (or fourth) floor where the stage was. I looked at the stage and to my relief, there was a little gap at the very far left of the stage. I walked over there as quickly as I could, and I made it. I made it to the barrier!! And it was the spot I wanted, because it's on Rich Good's side! I stood there in disbelief. There was a tiny part of me that thought I wouldn't make it, but I did. My brother came and stood behind me, and I wished he was right up at the barrier with me.
I looked at the interior and the architecture of the Crystal Ballroom and I forgot how beautiful the inside was. The venue was built in 1914 and I always have a fascination with old buildings and houses. I like to watch videos of people going into the abandoned old farmhouses, and it seemed to me that back then the buildings and houses were made with thought and care. They have a certain beauty, quality, and charm to them whereas the new houses and buildings don't. I don't like the new buildings nowadays and they are ugly and too modern for my taste.
The special guest for The Psychedelic Furs and The Jesus And Mary Chain tour was Frankie Rose, and she was absolutely great. I really liked the way she performed on stage. Then The Jesus And Mary Chain came next and they were great as well. They even brought Frankie Rose to sing with them on a couple songs. After The Jesus And Mary Chain performed we waited for The Psychedelic Furs to come on stage. The two songs that were the highlights from the intermission music were "Sound And Vision" by David Bowie (funnily enough, that song was played at the 2019 concert so it was like a deja vu moment) and "Bring On The Dancing Horses" by Echo & The Bunnymen.
And then at last, The Psychedelic Furs appeared. In my opinion, the best way to experience a Psychedelic Furs concert is being at the front row. If you're a few rows back, far away or at the balcony it's just not the same. I love the way The Furs interact with the audience and to me they are the best live band I've ever seen. I got emotional at points throughout the show, and when Richard Butler came over to our side I cried. I couldn't believe I was seeing him close up in person. Rich Good smiled at me four or five times (<3), and bassist Tim Butler sang right back at me during "Pretty In Pink" and I think "Only You And I".
On the 2024 tour Richard Fortus joined The Psychedelic Furs and it was awesome to see him on stage. Richard Fortus was the guitarist for Richard Butler's other band Love Spit Love in the '90s. Then in the 2000s he became a member of Guns N' Roses (along with Love Spit Love drummer Frank Ferrer), and in 2020 produced The Psychedelic Furs' recent album Made Of Rain. Seeing Richard Fortus with The Psychedelic Furs on tour makes me wish they covered a Love Spit Love song. It would have been so cool.
The Psychedelic Furs opened with "The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll" and it took me back to when they performed that song in 2019, a year before Made Of Rain was released. It was absolutely awesome hearing "Pulse" and "Forever Now" live for the first time with my own ears, and The Furs brought back some songs I hadn't heard in a long time, like "Only You And I" (as mentioned), "So Run Down", "All That Money Wants", and "All Of The Law". I was happy they brought back "All Of The Law" and the first time I heard this song live was at my second PFurs show in 2016. And I loved how, like the 2016 concert, Richard Butler and Rich Good did the la la las at the end of "All Of The Law".
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| The three Richards. :) Good, Butler, and Fortus during "All Of The Law". |
But even though I was having an incredible time, in my mind and heart I didn't forget saxophonist Mars Williams. I wanted to keep his memory alive and I liked to think he was there with all of us in spirit. On that night I was wearing my PFurs sweatshirt/hoodie but underneath I wore a T-shirt that had a picture of the band that was taken in 2021 (the year when Zachary Alford joined the band), and I wanted to wear it in memory of Mars Williams. And when I looked at the concert photos that people took on social media during the tour I noticed Rich Good was wearing a badge that had a picture of Mars, and I thought it was a lovely tribute. When The Psychedelic Furs played "Heartbreak Beat", during the intro of that song, Amanda Kramer played on her keyboard the part that was originally supposed to have the saxophone and it made me cry listening to it; the song sounded lonely without Mars.
When Mars Williams passed away I wasn't sure how the next concerts would be like and I was worried they wouldn't be the same without him. But after seeing The Psychedelic Furs that night I was wrong after all. They still put out a fantastic show and I'm glad they brought Richard Fortus with them to fill out the sound. He played the guitar and had this cool looking instrument that looked like a type of violin.
After the concert was over my brother told me he had to go to the parking garage to get his car before the garage closes at midnight, and asked me if I would be okay by myself while he went out. I told him I would be fine and as he left I went over to look at the merchandise. I bought a T-shirt that has the Made Of Rain album cover on the front and the tour dates on the back. After I bought my shirt I went out of the venue and stood by the entrance again. I wanted to see Rich Good one more time before my brother and I leave, and I prayed I would have that chance. My brother found me and we stood outside until Rich Good came out of the venue. Rich saw us and we talked for a little bit. I told Rich that it was seven years since we met face to face and he was shocked it had been so long. In my mind I wanted a second picture with Rich but I was afraid I would be asking too much, but suddenly he asked me if I wanted another one and I said yes. Rich got his phone out and took a selfie of us, then told me he would send the picture to me. We talked about other things and then we said farewell. I will always remember that precious moment and it makes me smile every time I think about it. Rich Good is just so wonderful, so kind, so gentle, and I will never forget everything he did for me. To think Rich actually knows who I am is just an amazing thought and I feel he truly understands me as a person, which means a lot to me. My family knows everything about me and Rich, and I really wish they can meet him because I want them to see how awesome he is.
Anyway, after my brother and I left the Crystal Ballroom we drove to a hotel and spent the night there. While I laid in bed my feet were hurting and I felt exhausted, but my mind was racing with excitement about the concert and all of the things that happened. I was on cloud nine and I cried a bunch because I was so happy. It took me a while to fall asleep but eventually I did. At about 5:30 AM my brother and I left the hotel, got coffee and a few things to eat, then headed home. It was hard having to go back to work, reality, and life in general after I had such an incredible day. I really didn't want to go back, I wanted to stay in my happy little bubble forever. But I was happy in my cloud of thoughts while I worked, and the wonderful memories made my work nights go good.
I want to thank The Psychedelic Furs for putting out an awesome show and for coming back to Portland. I hope I will see them again someday.
And special thanks to Rich Good and Juli for making my day and night a very memorable one. I will treasure it forever now and always.
Thank you, with all my heart... <3
Setlist:
1. The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll
2. The Ghost In You
3. So Run Down
4. All That Money Wants
5. Only You And I
6. Wrong Train
7. Love My Way
8. All Of The Law
9. President Gas
10. Pretty In Pink
11. Mr. Jones
12. Pulse
13. Heartbreak Beat
14. Forever Now
15. Heaven
*All photos by me*
