Front 242 7.25.1998
[Bauhaus 9.25.1998]
Frontline Assembly 5.22.1999
Bauhaus
September 25th, 1998
Bren Events Center/UCI
The Bren is a brisk walk across campus from where I live
so I was happy. When I got there I only saw a few people,
so I thought, that’s cool, and I settled down and waited
for my friends. After a while I gave up and decided to
go in. I went around the corner of the building to the
entrance, and, fucking shit! A huge line stretched down
the length of the building. I followed it, thinking it
ended just around the corner. Nope, I was wrong, it went
all along the back of the building, then turned and went
into the middle of a field. I couldn’t believe it. I
wondered if everyone would fit in the place. I’ve never
seen so many goths in one place before, I wondered where
they all came from. Anyway, I stood in line for half an
hour and finally my friends showed up.
The stage decorations had really changed. I
remember for Comedy Night the night before they had 4
speakers, some potted plants, and a big UCI banner.
For Bauhaus there were a ton of speakers and lights, as
well as stage decorations. We sat on the bleachers to
the left of the stage. Perfect view. There was some
church music playing, then some weird tribal/house stuff.
At 9:30 the lights shut off and the stadium filled
with a low rumbling bass noise. I could feel the
excitement building. Then the legendary Bauhaus appeared
on stage, opening with Double Dare. Peter Murphy’s
shadowed face sang on a black & white TV screen while
the rest of the band played live. It looked so cool.
The lighting was very elegant and the stage minimally,
sparsely decorated. Murphy finally appeared on stage
for In The Flat Fields, and the band was complete.
They sounded so good live, I couldn’t believe it. After
years of listening to recordings I was sure I was going
to be disappointed. Peter Murphy was dancing and spinning
around and even did a costume change onstage into a purple
velvet suit. I loved every moment of the show. They
sailed through their set with no problems. The set
included the Passion of Lovers, Dark Entries, Telegram
Sam, Ziggy Stardust, and, of course, Bela Lugosi’s Dead.
