So yes, Pet Shop Boys have just started their Pandemonium world tour tonight here in St. Petersburg, Russia. This was their first perfomance in the city since 1997. The show attracted more or less half of the venue, The Ice Hall, the capacity of which is 10000 people. Of course, much of the crowd were old PSB fans; or just adult couples in love with '1980's music'. You could see also local Brits and even vintage rockers. Younger cool and gay audiences were there as well. People did not seem too excited about the new material, which I think is typical for a concert of a band with such a long career. The public could be described as very relaxed, loyal and smart (oh yes!).
The show features main new material from 'Yes', dissolved in all-time PSB hits in a way not to frighten people with unnknown songs.
The stage is set in a practical and minimal way. The main element is the wall built of white cubes (of course, later demolished). Squares, cubes and pixels, coming from the cover of 'Yes', is the main visual motif of the show, featured in props, costumes and projections.
There are four dancers/back-singers to support the lead performers.
Neil had eight costume changes; spoke very good Russian in between the songs; there was a video of him walking in the rain around the equestrian monument to Peter the Great, shot probably on the same day.
The show is flawlessly shaped, designed and directed, however we faced all the possible technical mishaps due to it's debut. Practice makes perfect.
The list of the songs is approximately as follows:
1. Heart
2. Did You See Me Coming?
3. Pandemonium/Can You Forgive Her?
4. Love Comes Quickly
5. Love Etc.
6. Integral/Building a Wall
7. Go West!
8. Two Divided By Zero + Why Don't We Live Together? + Closer to Heaven/Left To My Own Devices + You Were Always On My Mind
9. Interlude
10. Do I Have To? + King's Cross
11. The Way It Used to Be
12. Jealousy
13. Suburbia
14. All Over The World
15. Domino Dancing/Se A Vida E + Discoteca + Some happy dance track the title of which I'm not that anal to know (update: it's Viva La Vida by Coldplay)
16. It's a Sin
Encore:
17. Being Boring
18. West End Girls
