The Nokia is great for sound but the LA crowd can be unforgiving and detached and this show was no exception. Peter Murphy pranced and paraded around the stage, giving the audience his all, but the fans remained aloof and less-than-generous with stilted claps. Murphy, in characteristic theatricality, begged the audience for applause and at one point even stopped and addressed the crowd, saying, “We are up here giving you love and you’re not loving us back. A relationship is a two way street and we want some love.†Die-hard Murphy fans willingly responded to his every whim while those stoic LA fans finally started to come around but by then the show was almost over.
Murphy ~ who opened the set with “Hurt,†a Nine Inch Nails cover ~ surprised the crowd with by playing a number of Bauhaus tunes such as, “Burning From The Insid
e,†“Stigmata Martyr†and “Dark Entries.†For an old man, he can belt out tunes better than some of his younger counterparts. And, always a true showman, despite being besieged with technical issues—a guitar stand falling over, a busted guitar string, his microphone going dead—Murphy delivered, closing with a rousing rendition of Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust.â€
Keep abreast of Murphy’s goings on at http://www.petermurphy.info/
