Richard Butler Touched My Hand

Richard Butler - Psychedelic Furs

 

It’s crazy imagining that,  after all these years, the impact of Psychedelic Furs’ frontman Richard Butler reaching out to you from the stage and shaking your hand mid-song would still be electrical. 

That is, unless you’ve seen the Furs perform live on their 2010 tour. 

Last night’s performance at the White Rabbit in San Antonio was nothing less than electrical.  The Brothers Butler – with help from Mars Williams, Paul Garisto, Rich Good, and Amanda Kramer – filled the stuffy hardcore venue with energy that seemed to stem directly from the Furs’ 1981 American debut; and the relevance and potency of their music after close to 30 years was palpable.  Every head in the crowd bobbed, every body in the room swayed, and not a moment of it was lost on the variously aged audience that stood enthralled before the stage; for well over an hour, teens, 20-somethings, 30-somethings, and beyond wouldn’t give up an inch of floor. 

Rich Good and Richard Butler

 

Unlike openers, She Wants Revenge, the Furs didn’t stack their setlist with the most popular, accessible songs toward the end.  In fact, they ripped right into the audience with one of their most identifiable tracks, “Love My Way,” followed it up shortly therafter with “Ghost in You,” and never looked back.  All smiles and laughter, Richard Butler danced and weaved about the stage during every song, pleasing the audience with his signature ‘elbow-leaning-on-the-mic-stand’ and ‘prayer-hands-above-the-mic’  moves.  He even spun around during “Heaven”… f— yeah!  If his charisma and energy grew throughout the set, it was hardly noticeable, as he hit the ground running with high-intensity, effortless dancing and nonstop crowd engagement. 

Mars Williams

 

But saying that Richard Butler’s presence was the only memorable part of the experience would be a tragic error.  Mars Williams wailed his saxaphone to life on songs like “Heartbeat” and “Sister Europe,” often leaning into the crowd in an amazing spectacle of strained neck veins and flash-fingered fury.  Tim Butler, cool behind dark sunglasses, galloped across the stage and interplayed with Rich Good, who was tearing up the strings of a smooth white-on-white Fender Jaguar.  Meanwhile, Garisto adroitly laid the thumping framework of each song as angelic Amanda Kramer (Information Society), stood smiling behind two massive synthesizers. 

 A band as successful as the Psychedelic Furs can’t very well stack a setlist when their entire discography is loaded with cult hits and chart-ranked songs; the whole set was stacked.  They showcased a range of styles from the rough-edged “President Gas” to the melancholic “She Is Mine” and finally arriving at the infectious “Pretty in Pink.”  And when they, at last, thanked the crowd (for the umpteenth time and after returning for an encore), the White Rabbit was that much more empty for them having left the room. 

Look out, Austin… here come the Psychedelic Furs.

A Psychedelic First for San Antonio

Psychedelic Furs have updated their tour schedule recently to include some swapped dates as well as additional stops, one of which is The White Rabbit here in San Antonio, TX.

The general admission, all-ages event will take place June 29.  Doors open at 7pm and pre-sale tickets will run $25 (may cost more the day of the performance).  She Wants Revenge will be opening for the Furs along with additional support to be announced.

Since the Furs have begun touring after their 2000 reformation, this will be the first time they have visited San Antonio.  Fans of the legendary group can now save a trip to Austin by checking out this added tour stop in a city that is normally deficient in quality touring acts.

Move over Legs Diamond, here come the Furs.

UPDATED TOUR SCHEDULE

May 27 - ORLANDO, FL / Hard Rock Hotel (FURS ONLY) (on sale 4/30)
May 28 - WEST MELBOURNE, FL / Levelz (tickets)
May 29 - ATLANTA, GA / Masquerade (tickets)
June 01 - BALTIMORE, MD / Rams Head Live (on sale 4/8)
June 02 - PHILADELPHIA, PA / The Blockley (tickets)
June 04 - NEW YORK, NY / Irving Plaza (tickets)
June 05 - BOSTON, MA / House Of Blues (tickets)
June 06 - FAIRFIELD, CT / Stage One (tickets)
June 08 - TORONTO, ON / Lee’s Palace (on sale 4/8)
June 10 - ROYAL OAK, MI / Royal Oak Music Theatre (tickets)
June 11 - CHICAGO, IL / Metro (tickets)
June 12 - MINNEAPOLIS, MN / First Avenue (tickets)
June 13 - OMAHA, NE / The Waiting Room Lounge (tickets)
June 14 - KANSAS CITY, MO / The Midland (tickets)
June 16 - DENVER, CO / Gothic Theatre (tickets)
June 18 - BOISE, ID / Egyptian Theatre
June 19 - SEATTLE, WA / The Showbox (tickets)
June 20 - PORTLAND, OR / Crystal Ballroom (tickets)
June 22 - SAN FRANCISCO, CA / Fillmore (on sale 4/11)
June 23 - SAN DIEGO, CA / Belly Up (tickets)
June 24 - LOS ANGELES, CA / The Wiltern (tickets)
June 25 - ANAHEIM, CA / Grove (tickets)
June 26 - LAS VEGAS, NV / House Of Blues (tickets)
June 29 - SAN ANTONIO, TX / White Rabbit (tickets)
June 30 - AUSTIN, TX / Emo’s (tickets)
July 01 - DALLAS, TX / Granada Theater (tickets)
July 02 - HOUSTON, TX / Warehouse Live (tickets)

Psychedelic Furs, She Wants Revenge 2010 Summer Tour

After a successful tour last year with fellow icons Happy Mondays, 80′s giants Psychedelic Furs will begin another U.S. tour in May, this time with She Wants Revenge as openers.

Spanning a little more than a month, the tour will begin May 27 in Tampa, FL and end in Houston on July 2.  Since reforming after 2000, the Furs have toured sporadically without any follow-up to 1991′s World Outside, and the band’s lack of an “official” website makes gleaning any information to that end quite difficult. 

But one thing is certain: Psychedelic Furs will prove over a 25-date tour that the energy and charisma of their music still lives on in live performances.

San Antonio and Austin residents interested in catching the performance should know that general admission to Emo’s for the event is $22 per person in advance and $25 per person at the door.

TOUR SCHEDULE

May 27: Hard Rock Hotel, Orlando, FL
May 28: Levelz, West Melbourne, FL
May 29: Masquerade, Atlanta, GA
June 1: Rams Head Live, Baltimore, MD
June 3: The Blockley, Philadelphia, PA
June 4: Irving Plaza, New York, NY
June 5: House of Blues, Boston, MA
June 6: Stage One, Fairfield, CT
June 8: Lee’s Palace, Toronto, Canada
June 10: Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI
June 11: Metro, Chicago, IL
June 12: First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
June 13: Waiting Room Lounge, Omaha, NE
June 14: The Midland, Kansas City, MO
June 16: Gothic Theatre, Denver, CO
June 17: The Depot, Salt Lake City, UT
June 19: Showbox, Seattle, WA
June 20: Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR
June 22: Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA
June 23: The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA
June 25: Grove, Anaheim, CA
June 27: House of Blues, Las Vegas, NV
June 30: Emo’s, Austin, TX
July 1: Granada Theater, Dallas, TX
July 2: Warehouse Live, Houston, TX

…you thought you danced better than Richard Butler?

The Psychedelic Furs are one of the more prominent bands responsible for pinning your memory to the fabulous 80′s every time one of their songs plays.

This New Wave heavyweight combined light-hearted pop music with Richard Butler’s unique, smoky voice singing whimsical songs of love. Their debut album Talk, Talk, Talk featured the song “Pretty In Pink,” which would later inspire the classic John Hughes film (do we have to name it for you?).

In addition to the Pretty in Pink movie soundtrack, the Furs’ songs have appeared on many other movies, including Sofia Coppola’ s touching Lost in Translation. To wrap yourself in atmospheric warmth, try on such songs as “Love My Way,” “Ghost in You,” “Heaven,” “Until She Comes,” and “Sometimes.”

Feel pretty.