By Dathan Kazsuk | DPAC on a Tuesday night feels different. There’s an electricity in the air that says, “You’re about to witness something special.”
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By Dathan Kazsuk | |
I can still remember the day I bought my first Erasure CD. (Yes, CD—those shiny little relics of the past.) It was at the Merced Mall in California, inside a place called Musicland—because apparently “Creative Naming” was not a department they hired for. There I was, thumbing through cardboard longboxes—those 12-inch tree killers that served one purpose: to hold a single disc.
And then I saw it—Wonderland. Erasure’s debut album. 1986. I didn’t even hesitate. Vince Clarke from Depeche Mode and Andy Bell? Sold. That CD didn’t just get played; it practically melted in my CD player. Who Needs Love Like That, Push Me Shove Me, Oh L’Amour.
From there, Erasure was stitched into my DNA—19 studio albums, countless remixes, synth-pop symphonies that defined an era. But somehow, through all those years, I never caught them live.
Until now. Well … sort of.
Back in 2022, “The Neon Tour” was supposed to light up DPAC. Jen and I snagged tickets—only to get the gut punch that the tour was canceled. Flash-forward three years later, and Andy Bell is back—flying solo, new album Ten Crowns in tow, and a stop at DPAC. No Vince Clarke this time, but after waiting decades, nothing was keeping us away. Not Jen’s hair appointment. Not the interviews I had to reschedule for the next day. This was happening.
DPAC on a Tuesday night feels different. There’s an electricity in the air that says, “You’re about to witness something special.” The opener, Savannah Pope, took the stage at 8 sharp—props to DPAC for always running tighter than a Swiss watch. Her act? Imagine Repo! The Genetic Opera meets glam-rock drag show.
Platinum wig, powerhouse pipes, and a visual fever dream that made you feel like you wandered into a sci-fi musical. Then, 9 p.m. on the dot—darkness. A single synth pulse. The drumbeat hits. The lights explode.
Andy Bell appears in a blue sequined shirt and silver disco-ball pants, gleaming like the ghost of Studio 54 reborn. The crowd erupts. Breaking Thru the Interstellar kicks off and, just like that, we’re up—arms in the air, feet tapping, the years melting away.
Bell’s voice? Still golden. Still powerful. Still unmistakably Erasure. He blended Ten Crowns tracks like Godspell, For Today, and Dance For Mercy with the hits we grew up on. The crowd—mostly 80s and 90s veterans who once slow-danced to A Little Respect under fluorescent gym lights—sang every word.
One standout was Heart’s A Liar, the duet he originally did with Debbie Harry on the album. That night, it was Chelsea King stepping in—and she crushed it. Bell looked genuinely moved. You could feel it.
Scattered between the new release—the classics! Sometimes. Victim Of Love. Drama! Each one a time machine. The first few notes of Oh L’Amour hit, and DPAC was one massive choir—voices, claps, and happy tears. The energy was pure joy, pure nostalgia, pure Erasure. But the biggest surprise? Behind the keys wasn’t Vince Clarke—it was Dave Audé, the Grammy-winning producer who’s remixed Madonna, Beyoncé, and damn near everyone with a dance hit since 2000. The guy’s beats were surgical, breathing new life into classics without losing their soul.
For the encore, Bell slowed it down with Thank You, a tender new ballad that felt like a love letter to his fans. Then the inevitable—A Little Respect. The place erupted. Phones up. Couples dancing in the aisles. The kind of magic that only happens when music hits you right in the gut.
Seventy-five minutes of bliss. Synths, sequins, and soul. At one point during the performance, Bell smiled and said, “Let’s see if we can come back soon—maybe with a friend.”
Yeah, Andy. Bring Vince. Let’s do this again.
