Placebo: Never Let Me Go Tour
Arriving about a half-hour before doors at the 9:30 Club, I found a queue of patrons—young, old, and everything in between—wrapped around the club’s neighboring building all the way to the parking garage entrance (approximately two blocks in length). Upon entering the venue, the staff informed attendees that phones/devices were to be kept pocketed at all times—not unusual and not a big deal—but enough of an issue for me to forget some details of the show for my review since I didn’t have a backup of pen and paper to write things down.
The opener for the show was Poppy Jean Crawford on guitar and vocals, backed by a bass and keyboard. Daughter of Casey Niccoli (director of “Been Caught Stealing” by Jane’s Addiction) and pop surrealist painter Shannon Crawford, it’s no surprise that she’s artistic. Poppy Jean Crawford started a band at an early age, dropped out of school to pursue her craft, and never looked back.
My first impression of her vocals is one of a big, rich voice that is shoegaze-y and haunting, backed by crunchy sounding guitar. But Poppy Jean has a seductive tone of her own that is quite enjoyable. Garbed in a red mesh bodysuit, she went through her setlist without a hitch—winning over the crowd in the process.
Unfortunately, due to the phone restrictions, I couldn’t take mine out to take notes on the songs played…and setlist.fm has failed me after the fact. But, after the fact, I can say that I particularly like her tunes “Jonsies Gonesies” and “One Time Hunny.”
Next up was Placebo.
I think my first time experiencing the band was through the song “Nancy Boy” on a compilation CD (via “Shine” or “Best Album in the World”) that a friend from the UK brought with her on a trip to my hometown in 1997. Later on, I’d be exposed to “Every You Every Me” in Cruel Intentions, featured in the opening scene of the 1999 film.
For those that don’t know, Placebo is a UK-based alternative rock band that formed in 1994 by Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal. And, in the past, they have cited Sonic Youth and Depeche Mode as some of their influences. Currently, they are officially a duo augmented with touring musicians on drums, violin, keys, and backing guitars.
Prior to taking the stage, a projection of the band accompanied by an automated track thanked the crowd in advance for suppressing their phones/devices, explaining they want to have a human connection—something that is usually prevented when a device is involved. “It is a moment that will not be repeated…respect and love.” The crowd cheered in appreciation and anticipation.
Placebo kicked off their set with two of their newest tracks “Forever Chemicals” and “Beautiful James.” Molko’s voice—extremely recognizable and so unique—powered through the songs from their latest album “Never Let Me Go,” peppered with some familiar tunes from older albums past. Just beyond the midpoint of their set, a large keyboard was brought out for Stefan to play “Too Many Friends” and “Went Missing” before continuing on through their set.
The encore consisted of three songs, two of which were covers (Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)”—previously featured on Placebo’s “Covers” album—as well as Tears for Fears’ “Shout”).
Noticeably missing (for me) were some of their core classic songs—a decision that left me slightly disappointed. I’m not sure what drove them to not include them in their setlist, but maybe they wanted to focus more on the present with their current album.
Overall, the show was still exciting and fans seemed receptive during the performance, singing along as the night progressed.
Setlist:
Forever Chemicals
Beautiful James
Scene of the Crime
Hugz
Happy Birthday in the Sky
Bionic
Twin Demons
Surrounded by Spies
Chemtrails
Sad White Reggae
Try Better Next Time
Too Many Friends
Went Missing
For What It’s Worth
Slave to the Wage
Song to Say Goodbye
Come Undone
The Bitter End
Infra-red
Encore:
Shout (Tears for Fears cover)
Fix Yourself
Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) (Kate Bush cover)
Photos & Words: Deanna Escobar/SugarShot Media