Psychedelic Furs at the Rooftop at Pier 17

Richard Butler

Vocalist Richard Butler and his brother, bassist Tim Butler, began rehearsing in their family's front room in London, England. They initially called their band RKO, then Radio, then vacillated between the Europeans and the Psychedelic Furs, playing gigs under both names before permanently settling on the latter in 1977. Spawned from the British post-punk scene, the band gained immediate popularity in Europe but in America achieved mainstream success in 1986 when filmmaker John Hughes used the song "Pretty in Pink" for his movie of the same name. The band went on hiatus in 1992, and regrouped in 2000. The Psychedelic Furs' seventh and most recent studio album is 1991's World Outside. The current Psychedelic Furs touring line-up includes Richard and Tim Butler, guitarist Rich Good, saxophonist Mars Williams, keyboardist Amanda Kramer, and drummer Paul Garisto.

The Psychedelic Furs co-headlined a summer tour with James, which stopped tonight at the Rooftop at Pier 17. Under clear skies high above the tall ships at the South Street Seaport, surrounded by views of the Brooklyn Bridge and the downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn skylines, several band members came on stage wearing jackets, clearly overdressed for the hot summer evening. Ever the pop stars, all but Good wore shades even after the sun sunk into the horizon. The set began with the familiar "Love My Way," as Richard Butler sashayed across the stage in his long frock coat, singing a bit coarsely with his baritone voice. The James fans in the audience might have thought Butler sounded hoarse, but that was his signature delivery, a seemingly disaffected yet distinctive melancholy. Offsetting Butler's brooding gravel, Williams punctuated many songs with swooning saxophone fills which rallied a classic rock and roll dynamic into the fold. The band has not released new music in 28 years, but debuted a fine new song, "The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll," with Butler saying that it would be on a forthcoming album. Even with the new song, the Psychedelic Furs proved the value of 1980s music for 75 sparkling minutes.

Setlist:

1. Love My Way
2. Mr. Jones
3. The Ghost in You
4. Highwire Days
5. Sister Europe
6. Heaven
7. All of This and Nothing
8. The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll
9. Heartbreak Beat
10. President Gas
11. Sleep Comes Down (with Andy Diagram of James)
12. Pretty in Pink

Encore:

1. India