New Tour

[telys]

I have an idea for a different spin on a greatest hits tour, which would see them play Please and Actually in full. It could be billed as:

Pet Shop Boys: Imperial
Their early stuff, live

“We didn’t tour until 1989, by which time we’d already released three albums and our “imperial phase” was already over. Over the years we’ve often wondered what kind of show we’d have put on if we’d have toured sooner. This is that show - we’re playing our first two albums in full, plus some other hits and surprises.”

Alongside the mainstream draw of them playing all their biggest hits, we fans would get to hear them play the likes of Tonight is forever, Violence, I want a lover, Later tonight, Hit music, It couldn’t happen here and I want to wake up. Plus they could chuck in tracks like Always on my mind and In the night.

I appreciate it’s not the kind of thing they normally do, but it could be ace. Obviously I’d rather hear a b-sides show but this could be a different take on a hits tour.

With all due respect, God, no. What’s the difference between Dreamworld and an Imperial phase-focused tour if half of the current setlist is already made up of songs from that era anyway? I know older Petheads would be delighted because most of them have followed the Boys since that time, but a tour like that would only further position them as an 80s/heritage act, playing into the nostalgia factor. The 1989 tour was already a sort of Imperial phase tour, and it was great back then, but in 2024/2025, it doesn’t match the image they want to present to the world as a British international act.

Dreamworld was a good happy medium because older fans got to hear songs they hadn’t heard in a long time, us younger fans had a variety of eras (even though it was strongly Imperial phase-focused, as I mentioned before), and the general public (who I’d say were the main target) were satisfied with recognizing songs from their childhood or teenage years.

What I (and many younger and newer fans) want to see is more of their post-2000s material, which often gets overlooked in favor of Imperial phase songs. Tracks like Leaving, The last to die, Integral, Fugitive, and so on were fantastic live. Add newer songs like Say it to me, The Pop Kids, Will-o-the-wisp, and they could do so much with that. A b-sides tour would likely be a more popular idea across the whole fandom, rather than catering to just one specific section of it.

It wasn’t particularly a serious suggestion and I wouldn’t really want them to be the kind of act that would do something as blatantly retro as this. It was just a different take on a hits show which would still have mass appeal. Whichever way you look at it the general public are pretty much only interested in hearing 80s PSB. I do disagree that the age of a fan dictates which period of their music they would typically like the most though.

So may I suggest a compromise. A tour with "mid 80's electro" versions of all tracks.

[MikeyC]

Well, Dog's idea is not that unusual. Didn't Alanis Morissette tour like that? With Jagged little pill?

Peter Hook has been doing it with specific New Order albums and several years ago I saw Howard Jones on his tour playing his first two albums in full! x

HoJo at the indigO2. I was there. What a night!!

Very cool! I saw the show at Irving Plaza here in NYC!

[Gabby]

Well, Dog's idea is not that unusual. Didn't Alanis Morissette tour like that? With Jagged little pill?

Peter Hook has been doing it with specific New Order albums and several years ago I saw Howard Jones on his tour playing his first two albums in full! x

Peter Gabriel did "So" in his Front to Back Tour (or was it Back to Front?) some years ago. Was a great night out in Toronto, and you were able to purchase a CD of the gig for each place he visited. Nice souvenir of the evening.

[Whosematchesarethose]

I am not sure a 'tour' of B-sides is viable (even though I would love it) I have seen Dreamworld maybe 8 times and casual fans simply just want the songs they know. I never forget being at the Royal Albert Hall in 2017 and listening to someone moaning about the lack of lasers and he did not know the songs!! I think a three night B-sides/deep cuts gig is possible in London, and I will be there in a heart beat- but its not going on the road anytime soon!!

[eastendboy]

Some good ideas about concerts and it wouldn’t do any harm by emailing Angela.info@beckerbrown.com

I’ve emailed several times with suggestions, a few times about reissuing old tour t-shirts without a reply and I wonder if after reading the email it gets as far as Chris and Neil.


As mentioned there’s a chance dreamworld will get a final lap in Australia and anywhere else they get an offer to play. Festivals perhaps?


As for now I hope Chris and Neil are having a rest and I think around Christmas there will be an announcement about something, maybe the musical.


Personally I’ve spent lots on many issues of nonetheless and merch from dreamworld as well as the singles from the album and I even purchased this

https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Car ... 9171.FB110

[eastendboy]

Some good ideas about concerts and it wouldn’t do any harm by emailing Angela.info@beckerbrown.com

I’ve emailed several times with suggestions, a few times about reissuing old tour t-shirts without a reply and I wonder if after reading the email it gets as far as Chris and Neil.


As mentioned there’s a chance dreamworld will get a final lap in Australia and anywhere else they get an offer to play. Festivals perhaps?


As for now I hope Chris and Neil are having a rest and I think around Christmas there will be an announcement about something, maybe the musical.


Personally I’ve spent lots on many issues of nonetheless and merch from dreamworld as well as the singles from the album and I even purchased this

https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Car ... 9171.FB110

[eastendboy]

Apologies for the duplicate post.

[telys]

No more tours. I want more physical releases. Yet another concert wouldn't add anything for me. I've seen them at various occasions over the last 25 years and t b h the live experience isn't so overwhelming.

[Leonidas]

No more tours. I want more physical releases. Yet another concert wouldn't add anything for me. I've seen them at various occasions over the last 25 years and t b h the live experience isn't so overwhelming.

Agree, less touring and greater output.

[Leonidas]

Some good ideas about concerts and it wouldn’t do any harm by emailing Angela.info@beckerbrown.com

I’ve emailed several times with suggestions, a few times about reissuing old tour t-shirts without a reply and I wonder if after reading the email it gets as far as Chris and Neil.


As mentioned there’s a chance dreamworld will get a final lap in Australia and anywhere else they get an offer to play. Festivals perhaps?


As for now I hope Chris and Neil are having a rest and I think around Christmas there will be an announcement about something, maybe the musical.


Personally I’ve spent lots on many issues of nonetheless and merch from dreamworld as well as the singles from the album and I even purchased this

https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Car ... 9171.FB110

Great idea for a t-shirt, but it doesn’t look like them!