A Rocking Night in Boston

Hey everyone!

Hope your week has started out swell and I hope it stays that way for the rest of the week. Mondays aren’t something I usually call awesome, but this past Monday was pretty damn awesome. I was fortunate enough to be able to go see Gary Numan perform up in Boston at the Paradise Rock Club. Start to finish it was a great show. So, let’s not wait any further and dive into it!

This little venture up to Boston started back in December as a Christmas gift from my dad. We’re both Gary Numan fans and when we found out he was coming to Boston he jumped on it immediately. There was a lot of anticipation leading up to Monday night these past few months. Most of it hinging on what Boston’s Covid mandates were going to be. I won’t get into that side of things, but it really did feel like a coin toss up until last week. Suffice to say everything turned out alright and the trip was fantastic. I still don’t like cities, but it was still cool being in Boston after more than a decade. The Boston University area was nice, and it was fascinating watching the trams go by. Call me strange, but I like seeing things like trams and trains. The traffic was, well, city traffic. I’d wager it took us around twenty minutes to find decent parking. By decent parking I mean about two blocks away, so I’d say we got lucky on that. It was looking like we’d have to park four or five blocks away. We made sure to leave early so it wasn’t a huge issue, however a line had already started. We were probably among the first fifty people, so that was awesome. It was a pleasant surprise to see that people from different generations were going to this concert.

So how was the venue experience? Pretty good. It was smaller than I expected but the size wasn’t bad by any means. It had two levels, the floor and the balcony, both of which looked like they’d have good views of the stage from what I saw. I think by my count there were four bars total around the whole venue and one that looked like an actual bar as a separate room. I didn’t get anything to drink though, I was in such a great spot and moving would guarantee I lose it. My dad and I were about three people from the stage and with clear views to boot. We were right under speakers and as of typing this now I still have some post-concert ringing in my left ear. That said though… It was totally worth it! It got cramped though. I had just enough space to change how I was standing to help my legs not feel so achy. I feel the need to mention this – I loved the vibe in the venue. It was a great crowd. Overall, I would go to another show at the Paradise Rock Club.

What about the music? Well, the show started off with music by I Speak Machine. I don’t think I heard the name announced and I didn’t know anything about her music. I had to look the name up after the show. The music was pretty in line with Gary Numan’s. That said, it still took a little bit for me to get into. That’s not to say I didn’t like it, I just found it, unexpected? I’m not sure. It was intense, it was powerful, and she has a great voice. You couldn’t help but be grabbed by the music and listen to where it went next. That said, she was really into her performance and was having a great time with the crowd and for me, that makes it easy to get into the music. Is that just me or do other people experience the same thing? Let me know in a comment. I wish I caught the name of the last song she performed because I really enjoyed it. I believe she said her new album is dropping in April and I can’t wait to check it out when it does.

As to the main event of the evening? In three words: it was amazing. That is the first time I’ve expressed how good the concert was without using profanities. Honestly, it will probably be the last time I do it as well. As this is his Intruder tour, Numan opened with the song sharing the same name as the Album “Intruder.” I’m glad that was the choice for the opening. And the chills I got in those first moments, wow! I think through most the concert I was totally wrapped in the moment. I had to force myself to take a few pictures just because I was so into the performance. As I saw it, this was my first Gary Numan concert, and I was going to experience as much of it without a screen as I could. I don’t think there was a song I didn’t like but there were a few that I was hoping would be played and they were. My three favorite songs from Numan are “My Name is Ruin,” followed by “Here in the Black” and then “Cars” in that order. Not only did they play all of them, but they also crushed the performance. There was tune that took me by surprise though. I had listened to “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” a few days prior to the concert. I thought it was alright. Listening to it performed live though? Mind blowing.

The band looked like they were having an absolute blast playing. Remember earlier when I asked about the viewing experience being enhanced? I think a lot of people there that night would agree with me. There’s something funny about it. The more the audience got pumped up the more the band would. It’s like we were feeding off each other’s energy and it just kept building and building. It was electrifying to be a part of and something fascinating to look back on. I hope Gary Numan comes back around next year because I already want to go see him and his crew again.

I’ll wrap this one up. I had a fantastic time seeing Gary Numan at the Paradise Rock Club and I’m glad I was able to go. I looked up some videos on YouTube to see if anyone put some recordings from the show up and turns out I’m in a couple of them! It’s kind of strange but also kind of cool. Anyhow, if any of you have listened to Numan’s work, what’s your take on it? Have you seen him perform live? How was it? Keep a lookout for the next story coming out Friday. Thanks for reading and have a great one!

Best regards,

Aaron Kirby