Last night (September 17), two of modern rock’s most influential bands kicked off a long-awaited headlining tour at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage, which was originally supposed to happen in 2020. Electro-pop duo Pet Shop Boys and the synth-driven Joy Division offshoot New Order are taking their generational talents across North America. The Unity Tour has the two influential groups switching off headlining positions at each stop on the tour as they continue their month-long run through North America. Pet Shop Boys started things off as the opener at the tour’s first stop last night.
Pet Shop Boys have been one of the most dominating forces in dance music since their debut in 1984. Their decades-long run has culminated in 14 studio albums and critical acclaim across the world. At their Toronto gig, the duo performed some of their most beloved B-sides that mainly came from the first half of their career with cuts from their seminal debut Please. They started the night off with “Suburbia” and “Opportunities” from the aforementioned debut and then went into “Rent” from their 1987 album Actually. The electro-pop pioneers also went outside of their discography for covers of “Losing My Mind” by Stephen Sondheim, “You Were Always on My Mind” by Gwen McCrae, and “It’s Alright” by Sterling Void.
After the tragic passing of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, the remaining members of the band set out on another creative effort. With the addition of keyboardist Gillian Gilbert, the band’s trailblazing take on post-punk took an electronic turn and the newly formed New Order would become pioneers for the genre. For their first headlining show of the tour, the band’s setlist primarily focused on their earlier years. A large majority of New Order’s 14-song setlist was taken from the 1987 compilation album Substance, performing hits like “Ceremony”and “Bizzare Love Triangle”. The band paid homage to their beginnings by closing out their set by performing “Love Will Tear Us Apart” from their days as Joy Division.
This string of shows has the two electronic juggernauts stopping in major cities in the U.S. like Boston, Philadelphia, and New York. The first weekend of October will have the pair of bands in Los Angeles for two back-to-back shows.
Check out full setlists and and footage from last night’s show below:
