Review by Kelly Besaw
Photos by Chris Besaw
Gary Numan brought his brand of eclectic music to a jampacked crowd at the Water Street Music Hall in Rochester, NY on Saturday March 21. Opening act, Tremours joined him on this date of his tour.
L.A. based alternative rock group, Tremours, opened the show. The duo consisting of guitarist and vocalist, Lauren Andino and drummer Glenn Fryatt have been making music together since 2021. Tremours did a respectable job of warming up the crowd for Numan. Their music had a hauntingly melodic vibe that was often intense and edgy. I look forward to hearing more from them.
Numan a pioneering legend of electronic punk rock took the stage to a massive applause and kicked off his set with “Halo” as a haze of smoke filled the venue while blue lights created an eerie backdrop for the band. Guitarist Steve Harris and bassist Tim Slade both with shaved heads and wearing liturgical cassocks stood on each side of Numan. The three at times sang in unison and the sounds blended seamlessly together with the underlying track. They continued with the heavy industrial sounding track “Metal” and the more melodic “Haunted.”
Fans loved the Tubeway Army song, “Down in the Park” and most of the crowd was swaying, dancing, and singing along. A highlight of the show was when Numan’s daughter, Raven Numan, joined him onstage to sing one of her songs, “Nothing’s What it Seems.” Raven, who is forging her own music career has a similar sound to her father’s. I plan to check out more music from Raven.
Numan went on to play well-known hit “Cars.” I liked the slightly different spin on the song. The rhythm was a bit slower and his vocals sounded deeper. He ended the set with three songs that kept the fans dancing, “The chosen,” “A Prayer for the Unborn” and “Are Friends Electric” another Tubeway Army song. At one point, Numan paused to tell the audience that he had planned to have new music out for this tour, but because his wife was ill, he was unable to make it happen. The band took a short break before returning to the stage to perform “The Gift” and ended the evening with “My Name is Ruin.”
This was my first time seeing Gary Numan and I thought he put on a fantastic show. I would see him again. There are still plenty of chances to catch him on this tour. Check out his site for more information.
Setlist
Halo
Metal
Haunted
Everything Comes Down to This
Films
Is This World Not Enough
Down in the Park (Tubeway Army song)
M.E.
Nothing’s What it Seems (Raven Numan cover) (with Raven Numan)
Dead Sun Rising
Love Hurt Bleed
Cars
The Fall
The Chosen
A Prayer for the Unborn
Are “Friends” Electric (Tubeway Army song)
Encore:
The Gift
My Name is Ruin
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