Our dreams for Obscure after the 5 shows at EB

[Sandy Shaw]

You joke, and this will NEVER happen, but given how many festivals seem to be taking place on ocean liners these days, can you imagine the fun and giggles you could have with the double entendres of Pet Shop Boys Cruise?

Hehe!

I always thought the Pets shows would end up a little like the famous revue "Side by Side by Sondheim" which had a set with three stools in the centre for the stars, plus I think two baby grand pianos and narrative linksfrom Ned Sherrin. Well Neil already does the patter, we just need to get Chris a stool and we're nearly there!

[stmonan]

If they release a live product from this, I’ll inevitably buy it. But I’d be no less happy if they leave it as it was. There is a place for the special, unique, one-off experience that can’t be reproduced or cashed in on and this was special. I’ve got live recordings of other great gigs I was at but they’re never the same as the memory.

I loved Monday but have mild FOMO re the other nights - especially Wednesday - that I just need to manage. And I have my t shirt!

[ea39]

Does anyone in the know have a sense of how much it would cost to stage something like this?

On the face of it, ticket revenue is £100 x 5 nights x 1500 capacity = £750,000, but once you've factored in taxes, seller commission, venue commission, front of house and backline/backstage crew, musicians, Pete+assistant, guest performers, travel, acccomodation, equipment, sound, lighting, musical arrangements/programming (Stuart Price?) etc., I wonder what they're left with? Could they have even made a loss from this week? Seems unlikely, but touring is apparently prohibitively expensive, hence the push to sell merch...

[Patrick Bateman]

I can’t see it - not when they are hoping to sell 20,000 tickets here in July.

And frankly, I think they should just leave it at the five nights for superfans. I have no interest in any of their live albums. They’d be far better advised to release a new EP with, say, I dream of a better tomorrow, and other Neil-led songs from Naked, which won’t see the light of day soon anyway, and perhaps tart up some of the live performances this week for inclusion as future bonus tracks.

In other words, let’s go back to what they always did best: looking forward and releasing new music.

Drico.

Yes, I've never listened to any of the live albums. Nice for the actual experience but that's it. I also don't understand people who go to a gig and stand there filming it all. Live in the moment.

I enjoyed Obscure but still think the set list was too ballad-heavy. And obviously Performance will never be equalled.

[Patrick Bateman]

I’d never go on a cruise, and I wouldn’t pay $5000/night, but for a $2500/night I’d do it.

A cruise show is very Andy Bell.

[TwizzleUK]

Towards the end of this year, they should release their next B-sides compilation with all the flip sides since Format on 2 CDs. There should be a "deluxe" 4 CD version that also includes 2 x bonus CDs containing one live recording of each of the songs from all five nights of 'Obscure' - kind of like a super-set with all the different tracks included roughly where they were played in the sets, and ending with the regular encore tracks.

The B-sides compilation can have its own title, and the deluxe version can be called '[Title] Obscure' (in the style of 'Very Relentless')

[oakey]

Towards the end of this year, they should release their next B-sides compilation with all the flip sides since Format on 2 CDs. There should be a "deluxe" 4 CD version that also includes 2 x bonus CDs containing one live recording of each of the songs from all five nights of 'Obscure' - kind of like a super-set with all the different tracks included roughly where they were played in the sets, and ending with the regular encore tracks.

The B-sides compilation can have its own title, and the deluxe version can be called '[Title] Obscure' (in the style of 'Very Relentless')

Similar to my thoughts, see the playlist thread

[le petit corbusier]

Towards the end of this year, they should release their next B-sides compilation with all the flip sides since Format on 2 CDs. There should be a "deluxe" 4 CD version that also includes 2 x bonus CDs containing one live recording of each of the songs from all five nights of 'Obscure' - kind of like a super-set with all the different tracks included roughly where they were played in the sets, and ending with the regular encore tracks.

The B-sides compilation can have its own title, and the deluxe version can be called '[Title] Obscure' (in the style of 'Very Relentless')

Similar to my thoughts, see the playlist thread

And I like both of your ideas.

[Confidential]

Much as I would enjoy hearing these tracks (which are recreations of studio tracks rather than new arrangements) on an album, if the Obscure concerts never have a life past the five performances that brought so many Petheads a unique and joyous experience, then I’m okay with that. Sometimes, less is more. Not every project needs to be mined for profit or commercial exposure.

[tottenhammattspurs]

Still waiting for A Man From The Future after ten years and the Salford gig with the BBC Orchestra after fourteen so wouldn’t be holding my breath.

[stussyboy]

A man from the future should be coming out later this year

[TwizzleUK]

Here's a playlist I put together, which I think should be the running order of a 2 x CD 'Obscure' live album, including one version of every track they played. Obviously, it was a different set every night, but I think it should end with the standard encore they played every night, and have the different tracks placed roughly where they appeared within the standard set - to give us a "super-set" of all the songs. Each disc would be roughly 1hr 15m (longer if it includes some of Neil's great chat between the songs):

Disc 1
1 Positive Role Model
2 Will-O-The-Wisp
3 Two Divided By Zero
4 Jack The Lad
5 To Face The Truth
6 After The Event
7 A Certain "Je Ne Sais Quoi"
8 The Truck-Driver And His Mate
9 I Didn't Get Where I Am Today
10 Up Against It
11 Hit And Miss
12 Always
13 Do I Have To?
14 Sexy Northerner
15 Young Offender
16 Happiness Is An Option
17 The Theatre

Disc 2
1 One In A Million / Mr Vain
2 New Boy
3 Through You (Extended Mix)
4 In His Imagination
5 It Couldn't Happen Here
6 Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend
7 Miserablism
8 King Of Rome
9 King's Cross
10 Love Is The Law
11 Why Don't We Live Together?
12 The Performance Of My Life (Demo)
13 Requiem In Denim And Leopardskin
14 Your Funny Uncle
15 The Way It Used To Be
16 Later Tonight
17 I Dream Of A Better Tomorrow

[Whosematchesarethose]

My money is on:
1, third b-side collection out later this year, following alternative and format, potentially called Obscure.
2, no live album.
3, a further 5 night run in Berlin/Paris/Copenhagen the costs detailed above and the time involved in developing the show means they will have to extend it to break even, they also clearly really enjoyed it. We should recognise that whilst we all loved it there is not mass appeal (I have been to lots of Dreamworld shows and the crowd goes flat outside of the big hits) but a further small venue run would be brilliant.

[g_m]

My money is on:
1, third b-side collection out later this year, following alternative and format, potentially called Obscure.
2, no live album.
3, a further 5 night run in Berlin/Paris/Copenhagen the costs detailed above and the time involved in developing the show means they will have to extend it to break even, they also clearly really enjoyed it. We should recognise that whilst we all loved it there is not mass appeal (I have been to lots of Dreamworld shows and the crowd goes flat outside of the big hits) but a further small venue run would be brilliant.

They've spent time and money programming and rehearsing 35 songs for Obscure. There's no way it will be limited to just London. Berlin and NYC would be safe bets.

[slurmjunkie]

My money is on:
1, third b-side collection out later this year, following alternative and format, potentially called Obscure.

I'd prefer a different title for a third B-sides collection. Calling it Obscure would be misleading since only four songs of the prospective 36/37-song tracklist were actually played at the Obscure shows. Hopefully, an Obscure double CD of all 34 live tracks will be released. While the performances were (thankfully) close to the originals, I think it would already be worth it for the versions of 'Always' without autotune, and 'Through you' (in an unextended version) without the vocoder effect.