Lo DiBz: The Enemy

Everyone knows that there are concerts, and then there are CONCERTS. Capital C, italicized, bold faced, the works. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime, “I was there,” momentous occasion in a person’s life, after which he or she is never quite really the same.

For me, I’ve had just a couple of these momentous occasions. The first might be the first concert I ever attended and– let me just warn you right now– it was a doozy: Cut Copy, TV on the Radio, and Franz Ferdinand at the Theater at MSG. And, don’t worry, I also remember the date: October 17, 2005.  The second was probably Daft Punk on Coney Island the summer I graduated high school. Crazy shit. But now, years and years later, New Order at Roseland Ballroom puts everything before it to shame.

I was so excited to get New Order tickets that I actually terrified my friends; luckily, they agreed to come along with me anyway. It wasn’t cheap, but it was worth it (to say the least). By the time we arrived at Roseland, which wasn’t even that late, the place was totally packed. Unlike many of the other shows I attend, the crowd was extremely diverse, with young and old alike. People were dancing even before anything happened, and when New Order finally took the stage, I pretty much lost my shit.

To me, it’s just so thrilling to think of the history that these men have witnessed; of course, any music fan knows how New Order formed from the ashes of Joy Division after Ian Curtis’s suicide in 1980. A lot of people love Joy Division, for reasons that include the incredible music that they produced in such little time together (for example their debut, Unknown Pleasures, is indisputably one of the greatest records of all time).  However, I’ve always felt a special connection to Ian Curtis, especially this year of my life in particular, as I am 23 (the same age he was when he died). How can one person have seen so little, left so soon, and made such an impact? I think about this all the time, but that’s another post for another time, I suppose.

New Order is– or shall I say, was– Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, and Peter Hook, Joy Division’s remaining members. Peter Hook left the band in 2007 and, I gotta say, I’m totally bummed that I didn’t get to see him. But regardless, witnessing New Order as they are now is an extraordinary thing just in itself. New Order’s albums (particularly Movement and Power, Corruption and Lies) have been in constant rotation for much of my life, but listening to New Order has always been like listening to the Beatles, in the sense that they were a band I never imagined I’d get the chance to see live. Dancing among a crowd of hundreds to songs like “Blue Monday” and “5 8 6″ were things that I never dreamed I would do, but I can now say that I have.

Classics made up much of the set list, including “True Faith,” the gorgeous “Your Silent Face,” and mega-hit “Bizarre Love Triangle.” Of course, each one sounded bigger, brighter, and better played live than you might ever expect. “Age of Consent” was a particular treat for me, as it’s always been one of my favorites. That opening guitar? Killer. And you know that crazy solo towards the end of the song? I don’t know anyone else who could make it sing like Bernard Sumner can. It’s stupid, but I just wasn’t expecting them to be so damn good, after all these years.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I essentially lost all composure (and much of my dignity) the moment I heard the opening chords of “Ceremony.” A song written by Ian Curtis shortly before his death, it was New Order’s first single as a newly formed band, and it’s been my favorite song– period– since I was a teenager. Elegant, beautiful, and mesmerizing, I just let myself be swept away by all of the feelings that go hand-in-hand with being young, foolish, sad, ecstatic, and crazed — which for me, at least, are often one in the same.

We weren’t very close, unfortunately, but my dear friend Ankita Mishra managed to capture a few shots of the lights and incredible atmosphere.

Ian Curtis was eulogized in the show’s encore, which featured an array of Joy Division songs sung without their lead singer. As Bernard Sumner sang “Isolation” and, incredibly, “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” stirring and iconic images of Ian flashed across the backdrop of the stage. Dead for over thirty years, Ian still elicits cheers of love and adoration from a crowd, and I imagine it will be that way forever.

My friends and I left the venue feeling moved, emotional, yet altogether satisfied. I wish I had the live version to share, because it was simply breathtaking, but I’d love to close with a listen (if I can handle it) of “Ceremony.”

Tags: Live, new order, october nineteenth, roseland ballroom