Fans heading into the on Saturday might not have known what was in store for the night — two shows in one, pulling from two iconic bands, and . Headlining legend and his band not only took the stage to play two seminal New Order albums — “Movement” and “Power, Corruption and Lies” — Hook and his band also opened for themselves as Slaves of Venus with a slew of older, darker Joy Division selections.
Hook and the band took the stage shortly after 10 p.m. and immediately laid into Joy Division’s “Day of the Lords,” followed by an impressive set of both Joy Division and Warsaw tunes. The unexpected appearance of Hook playing Joy Division tunes delighted the audience. Say what you want about Hook’s personality (he has a reputation), but he proved in the too-short seven song set that he is the lasting heart and soul of Joy Division’s sound. Playing the last show of their U.S. tour seemed to have Hook in a unique state. He took it upon himself to single out audience members that were a little too passionate, in one case asking a fan to “… settle down a bit — I feel like I’m at your f* show, not that you’re at mine!”
After that short set, Hook and his band — including his son Jack Bates on second bass — re-appeared to play not only the advertised albums, “Movement” and “Power, Corruption and Lies” in their entirety, but nearly all of the EPs released around them as well. And they played them with a raw, honest power. Hook is still not a polished vocalist, but what he lacks in golden pipes he more than makes up for in passion.
The set began to catch steam as he introduced the seminal “Dreams Never End” with a story about his son Jack’s birthday wish (from the night before) to play the familiar opening. Jack did just that, and the rest of the band were off to a strong, raw start. After a more than two hour set that included pieces like “In A Lonely Place,” “Procession,” “Everything’s Gone Green” and the poignant “Leave Me Alone,” the band vacated the stage.
They returned to play a solid encore that included “Temptation,” “Blue Monday” and “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” after which they bid an understandably sated crowd good night.
Set List:
Slaves of Venus:
Day of the Lords
Leaders of Men
Colony
Dead Souls
No Love Lost
Passover
New Dawn Fades
Peter Hook & The Light:
In A Lonely Place
Ceremony
Procession
Dreams Never End
Truth
Senses
Chosen Time
ICB
The Him
Doubts Even Here
Denial
-Break-
Cries & Whispers
Everything’s Gone Green
Age of Consent
We All Stand
The Village
5-8-6
Your Silent Face
Ultraviolence
Leave Me Alone
The Beach
Encore:
Temptation
Blue Monday
Love Will Tear Us Apart
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Billy Thieme is a Denver-based writer, an old-school punk and a huge follower of Denver’s vibrant local music scene. Follow Billy’s explorations at , and his giglist at .
Nathan Iverson is a Denver photographer and regular contributor to Reverb.
