I think that I've seen Peter Murphy perform more than any other artist(s) besides Redd Kross. Once with Bauhaus in 1998, and solo in '92, '95, '00, and last night. He is definitely a showman; he still jumps around, twirls in a circle, and bends in half, arms outstretched like wings. That's one thing he's not losing. Unlike his hair. He's had the receding hairline for years, and I suppose he's been thinning on top for awhile too, but I guess I've just never had a bird's eye view of his head before...

He played at the House of Blues, where my boss is a member of the Foundation Room. He's always told me to let him know if I go to a show there and he'll put me on the list. Well last night, I finally remembered to tell him I'd be there. I didn't really care about the fancy digs themselves, I just wanted access to the balcony seating. In spite of what my crappy camera phone pics tell you, they are really great seats. No one's big head in your way, no pushing or shoving or B.O. or spilled beer. Just a front row seat with a clear and close view of the whole stage. And watching Peter perform from above was an amusing, wonderful, enlightening new experience!

For one thing, I noticed that oddly, he's less sinister looking from above. I suppose the way the shadows play on that bone structure when you're looking up at him adds to the mystique. From above though, he looked more like an elf or a leprechaun or something. Of course, it's hard to be sinister when you spend half the night doing the pogo and twirling in circles like a child . That's one of the great things about him. Many of his fans may be so gothasfuck that there are bats swarming above their heads, but Peter clearly doesn't take himself too seriously. (I think I figured that out in 2000 when he started talking like a Valley Girl on stage. And then a friend of a friend saw him on a roller coaster screaming like a little girl.) But when he had his back to the crowd and was doing his swaggery, hip shaking sexy strut/dance, that balding head just immediately canceled out all the sexiness.

Now, I'm not complaining about baldness. On the right person, it can be very hot (-- right Mrs. Shreck?). But Peter's just not embracing it. He still wants to have hair, and it doesn't work. Once he gets hot and sweaty, it either sticks to his head or sticks up, and he looks like he needs to be in a straitjacket in a white room somewhere. I wish he'd either just shave it or get transplants or a weave or something. He still has the pipes though. The pipes, and the limberness of Nadia Comaneci. And the piercing blue eyes. And cheekbones that will cut you up if you're so close. (ha! haha! I slay myself.)

Last night, he did a whole Question & Answer session with the audience, but unfortunately, my friends and I couldn't understand a word he was saying. I don't know if he was mumbling and talking too fast, or if the sound in the balcony just wasn't that clear. I suspect the latter.

My friend Laura and her friend Delores had earlier told Annette that they'd heard that he was covering Joy Divison's "Transmission," and that he was even doing a little Ian Curtis dance. Needless to say, Annette was ecstatic (JD being her fave fave), and he finally did it during the 2nd or 3rd encore. The Ian Curtis dance was adorable too. He covered Bowie's "Be My Wife," which I found an odd choice; and he threw a bit of "Quicksand" into one of his own songs (I forget which one). He also slipped parts of "Bela Lugosi's Dead" into one of his own songs. And strangely enough, he started singing "Riders in the Storm" during an instrumental bit. Very amusing. He did a couple of songs off the new Bauhaus album, and a couple of Bauhaus oldies ("She's in Parties" and something(s) else that escapes me at the moment). All in all, it was a fantastic show. I'm so glad I saw him again,  and I hope it's not the last time. Though I hope next time he does something about his hair!

Afterward, we hung out near the bus with some people we knew and some we just met. He came out, reluctantly signed a few autographs, and I managed to snap a very blurry shot of him. I wish my camera phone didn't suck quite so much!







And also, he moonwalked, which was really funny and cute!