Psychedelic Furs Live Review

By Cyndi Ford

The Psychedelic Furs
July 6, 2011
Masquerade, Atlanta Georgia

Richard Butler (vocals), Tim Butler (bass), Rich Good (guitar), Mars Williams (saxophone), Amanda Kramer (keyboards), and Paul Garisto (drums).

Can you say ''tripping down memory lane?'' The Furs were were leaders in the pop genre of music of the 80‘s. Their romantic sax driven sound was not only the sound track to many movies, but to a generation.

This night they were to put on an ‘intimate evening with the Psychedelic Furs, and with their two set no opening acts, it was just that; intimate. The first set was their album “Talk Talk,” while the second was a compilation of their other hits. This seems to be a trend, to do a tour covering an entire album in one set, and I like it.

I was lucky enough to spend this night with my best friend and photographer, Penny Cogdill. It was a girls night out and the excitement that we had created in the air was electric. From the “what ya gonna wear?” chatter on the phone to the fb fodder...we were giddy.

As we arrived at the venue, and parked in the spot we were told not to, we could not help but giggle as we made our way in. Kudos to Tim again for providing us entrance and a photo pass, he always books the best shows. We grabbed a beer and headed to photo alley, where we spent the evening. There were a couple of other photographers in the alley, thanks for sharing the room and not stepping on us~

Richard Butler was a eloquent as ever. He stands in his famous poses, and swoons the crowd. All of the musicians put on a flawless show. The first set had my favorite song, “Pretty in Pink.” a song that all girls can relate to, thanks to the movie.

Penny and I snapped pics like true professionals, which was so much fun as they all made their way to sing right in front of us and strike a pose, this made for some fabulous shots. A tip of the hat to Mars for having a great performance, his sax took the lead and the guitar was the rhythm on many songs. The cute little Amanda Kramer, was perfection on the keys. And Tim Butler on bass, was excellent and a special thank you for being on our side of the stage and sharing it.

And Paul’s drums were phenomenal, not too in your face, but set the beat for the atmosphere. That is a good word to describe this night, atmosphere, for the air was filled with a calming vibe. I was mesmerized by my surroundings, looking into the eyes of my best friend while one of our favorite bands played was quite satisfying.

The second set had another favorite of mine, “Heaven,” which much to my surprise did not contain the infamous sax sounds of the Furs. I had not noticed this one before. It was a hot and sweaty night for all. Everyone including the band were dripping. But this did not damper the mood that had been created, but just allowed for a good cold beer to taste even better.

I have said it before, but when a band has good solid tunes; they will last well beyond their life on the top 40, and if perhaps the members stay together enough to pull off a tour everyone in attendance is truly blessed.

It is always fun to trip down memory lane...

Cyndi