Release Athens Festival 2026 - Pet Shop Boys

 

It is a rare occasion for a band who has just played in Greece to be invited again on their next tour. What is even rarer is for such a band to be invited back on the same tour. And that's what happened with the Pet Shop Boys this year. Having played Athens on the Dreamworld Greatest Hits Tour four years ago they were invited to play again this year on the same tour. Which raised a most important question: Is it worth going to see the exact same show I watched 4 years ago? Thankfully, that wasn't an issue, for more than one reason as we'll see later.

Until a few weeks before the gig no support acts had been announced. I was therefore pleasantly surprised when it was announced that one of them was going to be Saint Etienne. I had seen them a few times in the past the first time as far back as 1999. However, they had announced that this was going to be their farewell tour so it was a good chance to see them for one last time. They were going to be the first support act so it was a rare occasion when I arrived at the festival area before fhe gates had opened. There, at the queue I met several of my friends. You see i had made several pethead friends over the years, most of whom are still here on this earth, while some are missing as the song goes.

As a result I was there at the front when Saint Etienne took the stage. Since they were the opening act, their set was quite short, but they still managed to fit in several of my favourite tunes.

After their set was over, i embarked on my usual exploration of the area, ending up, as usual at Jackaroo for a snack.

By that time Gramatik were on stage. i didn't know them and the promoters had advertised them as "an act with stunning visuals". I didn't see any of those aforementioned visuals, probably because it was still daytime and their music didn't seem to interest me in my own humble  opinion. I prefer London Grammar. So I just waited for the main act.

I had already seen their Dreamworld Blu-Ray to remind me of my own experience of the tour four years ago. Our main complaint from that gig was that we got the shortened "Festival Setlist" of the tour instead of the full one. I mean, how can you fully experience the "Dreamworld" tour without hearing "Dreamland"? Because that was one of the songs that I think was cut from the festival setlist four years ago. Would we hear it this time? One could only hope...

Before they came on stage, the Ukranian flag appeared on the big screen just as it had four years ago. And then the music started with "Suburbia" again just as it had four years ago. As the show progressed I realized that this time it was different. First of all, we got the songs from the latest album "Nonetheless", like "Dancing Star" and "A New Bohemia" tracks that weren't even on the Dreamworld Blu-Ray. And we also got "Dreamland". And of course we got "Go West" which wasn't featured on the Blu-Ray for legal reasons. And just before the end Neil confirmed it, that just as we had asked, we got the full setlist this time, not the festival one. How did he know?

So, was it worth it? (As another one of their songs goes). Yes, it was worth buying the ticket. For the full setlist, the new songs and the farewell to Saint Etienne. After all how often are you able to attend a gig from a tour called "The Greatest Hits Tour' because every song played has been a hit?

SETLISTS:

SAINT ETIENNE

01. Nothing Can Stop Us

02. Who Do You Think You Are

03. Pale Movie

04. Like A Motorway

05. Spring

06. Glad

07. Only Love Can Break Your Heart

08. Shower Scene

09. Sylvie

10. Tonight

11. He's On The Phone

12. 7 Ways To Love

PET SHOP BOYS

01. Suburbia

02. Can You Forgive Her?

03. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)

04. Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)

05. Rent

06. I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More

07. So Hard

08. Left To My Own Devices

09. Single-Bilingual

10. Se A Vida E (That's The Way Life Is)

11. Domino Dancing

12. Dancing Star

13. New York City Boy

14. The Pop Kids

15. A New Bohemia

16. Jealousy

17. Love Comes Quickly

18. Paninaro

19. Always On My Mind

20. Dreamland

21. Heart

22. What Have I Done To Deserve This?

23. It's Alright

24. Vocal

25. Go West

26. It's A Sin

27. West End Girls

28. Being Boring

Release Athens Festival 2022 - Pet Shop Boys & Thievery Corporation

My third Release Festival 2022 date, was one that had been announced three years before. In late 2019 we had been promised the Pet Shop Boys for the summer of 2020. That of course was postponed for the summer of 2021. That one too was also postponed, this time for this summer when it finally took place. What's important to note is that the organizers didn't refund those who had already bought their tickets, but kept their money for when the rescheduled dates would take place. Sensing that something like this was going to happen I did not buy a ticket until the very last moment ie this June. And as I have already mentioned in my last post, I combined this as a double ticket with the London Grammar date. This would be my 4th Pet Shop Boys gig, having already seen them in Birmingham in 1991 when the "Performance" video was filmed, in Athens and in Water Square again in 2013 (but this time at the Ejekt Festival, not Release) and finally in 2017 during the Brussels Summer Festival. This would also be my second Thievery Corporation gig whom I had seen at Release Festival 2018.
We arrived in time for the third act in the bill which was Konstantinos Vita. He used to be one half of Stereo Nova who I had seen in 2018 at Nostos Summer Festival. He played some of his own songs but he also treated us to some Stereo Nova tunes and all this while the sun was still shining. 

 

Meanwhile we had already started meeting some of my fellow Pet Shop Boys fans from social media (and we kept meeting more during the course of the night).
During the break between Konstantinos Vita and Thievery Corporation we took more time to explore the festival grounds, meet several of our friends who were also there and stock on food and alcohol. Yes, we once again got the free stuff (like Coca Cola Zero and that special Johnnie Walker cocktail) but we also made sure we got chips and beer. As on the previous date with London Grammar we also had our own alcohol which we managed to smuggle in (Metaxa brandy - maybe not a wise choice for a hot summer day) and we mixed that with the cokes on offer. We were literally our own bartenders! 

Meanwhile, Thievery Corporation came up on stage and having now had the chance to explore their music since the last time they were there in 2018 I was able now to enjoy my favourite songs such as "Voyage Libre". 

 

During their set I made my last foray to the bar (we were somehow close to the stage, but close to the bars as well at the same time) to get more beer. And since three separate beers were selling for the same price as the special four beer set, I got the latter. At the height of the Thievery Corporation set I managed to divide the 4th beer among three people. 

 

After that, it was time to get even closer to the stage because of what we had come for: The Pet Shop Boys! Incredibly, while we were so closely packed together, I managed to phone a fellow Pethead, and by asking her to raise her hand up in the air and wave it, I managed to locate her, get over to where she was, have a conversation and then return to my place and find my friends. Unbelievable!

As their set started the Ukrainian flag was displayed in the matrix. Because it was a festival we got the shortened version of the setlist, meaning, among other things, that we only got one song from Hotspot and that was “Dreamland” the first single. Well, they had to play that since the tour is called “Dreamworld – The Greatest Hits Tour”. But, then again, it was the second part of the tour’s name that made it so enjoyable: “Greatest Hits”. And that’s what we got. However, I do like several tracks off that last album, my favourite two being the melancholic “Burning The Heather” and “I Don’t Wanna Go Out” which became my personal anthem during the lockdown.

 

 

 

All in all, it was simply brilliant! And amazing! Pet Shop Boys do know what we want and keep giving us more and more...

Finally, upon leaving the venue, after a very long time, I succumbed to temptation and bought some of the "dirty" food that was being sold outside. 

SETLIST:
01. Suburbia
02. Can You Forgive Her?
03. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)
04. Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)
05. Rent
06. I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More
07. So Hard
08. Left To My Own Devices
09. Domino Dancing
10. Love Comes Quickly
11. Losing My Mind
12. Always On My Mind
13. Dreamland
14. Heart
15. It's Alright
16. Vocal
17. Go West
18. It's A Sin
Encore:
19. West End Girls
20. Being Boring

Performance - Pet Shop Boys live in Birmingham, June 1991

 

In a previous post this year, I had written about my first concert, City in Athens back in 1981, 40 years ago. Today I'm going to remember a concert I attended ten years later, in 1991, 30 years ago...
Back then, I was studying in the UK. When, in late April, I came back from my Easter holidays in Greece (said holidays included a lot of clubbing, but that's another story), I decided that I would go to a gig. My choices were two: Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode. The Depeche Mode gig was sold out, so I bought a ticket to see the Pet Shop Boys at the Birmingham NEC on the 1st of June. Two days later I was in the hospital with an extremely serious condition: I had to have brain surgery.
I had my operation on the 1st of May, I pulled through and three weeks later I was out of the hospital. I had started looking for a fellow student to sell my ticket to, (and my mum insisted I do that), when my doctor (not just any doctor, but the one who had operated on me) came to my rescue: "Let the boy go", he told my mum, "he needs to have some fun and go out a bit after all he's been through".
And so it was that on the evening of June 1 I got on the train to the NEC as it was then known (now I think it's called LG Arena, where I saw Bryan Adams 23 years later). Little did I know that I was about to witness a piece of music history. For that was where the video (a VHS tape back then, a DVD now) of  "Performance" was filmed. And that's exactly what it was: Not a gig, but a performance: Everything was directed and choreographed beforehand. It was something that you could watch while sitting down, and that's exactly what I had to do because of my condition. I also had to wear a patch over the left lens of my glasses, because that particular eye couldn't focus properly yet. But the funny thing about my appearance was something else: They had shaved my head at the hospital in order to facilitate the operation, so I had asked my friends to do me a favour: "Because I will come out of this looking like Sinead O'Connor" (ie bald) "could you buy me a hat with a band's name on it? Any band..." And so they did. Only the band's name was Iron Maiden. I believe that to this day I must be the only person who has ever watched a Pet Shop Boys gig wearing an Iron Maiden hat.
And so the Pet Shop Boys played the songs they had chosen for this particular tour (the same every night as this was a "Performance" (you can see them in the setlist further down the post) while I was enjoying the show feeling lucky and glad to be alive. You can say that this was my reward after what I had been through. And these songs were not always the obvious hits. Sure, the set relied heavily on "Behaviour", but there were also b-sides, like "We All Feel Better In The Dark" with Chris taking his clothes off, and one of the best PSB songs in my opinion "Your Funny Uncle", the very last song of the night, ending the encore on a somewhat sad note, but with a hint of optimism: "Another life begins today" (this certainly applied to me). There were also songs they had written for other artists "So Sorry I Said", "I'm Not Scared".

But the absolute highlight for me was "Jealousy", the last song of the normal set, before the encore. It was my favourite track from "Behaviour", an album which, believe it or not, I didn't much like at first (Most of the songs were "too slow" I thought at first. Not surprising if you knew me back then, since I used to indulge in a lot of nightclubbing in those days). On top of that, "Jealousy" actually came out as a single that very week. It was the last CD I bought before I went back to Athens for what would now be my summer holiday...

SETLIST:
01. This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave
02. It's a Sin
03. Losing My Mind
04. What Have I Done to Deserve This?
05. My October Symphony
06. I'm Not Scared
07. We All Feel Better in the Dark
08. So Sorry, I Said
09. Suburbia
10. So Hard
11. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)
12. How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?
13. Rent
14. Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)
15. West End Girls
16. Jealousy
Encore:
17. Always on My Mind
18. Your Funny Uncle

 

2017 was brought to you by...

Well I'm not going to say by Sony, but there's been a change of camera as of late last year because  as you can see from the photo above which had to be taken with the old camera (the new one cannot take selfies of itself!) dust had crept inside the lens and nothing could be done about it.

So, I finally said goodbye to the old one which had been with me to all the concerts since 2009.

I had of course a new mobile since late 2015 (which was joined by a similar tablet earlier this year), and the pictures they can take are clearer and sharper than the old camera, but they are not of much use in a concert unless you are close to the stage because of the lack of a significant zoom.

Nevertheless they were both used on the first gig of the year which was in a small venue. Now, I don't normally bring my tablet to gigs, but I went to that one straught after work, so I was carrying it with me and I had the opportunity to test it.

Finally, hoping for more gigs in 2018, I leave you with memories from the two main ones of 2017; this...

...and this!

Pet Shop Boys and Goldfrapp @ Brussels Summer Festival

For the whole of last winter, I was on guard for announcements of summer appearances by the Pet Shop Boys. I knew the Super tour was going to be underway and I definitely wanted to catch them somewhere in Europe during the summer. The reason was simple: I had met my girlfriend at their Athens gig in 2013 during their previous ("Electric") tour. But the fact is, I didn't actually meet her at the gig. We were both there, but we didn't know each other. However, on the following day I posted on a Pet Shop Boys fan page and quoted one of their lyrics. She contacted me because of that very post, me met, and the rest is, as they say, history. The only problem was that until this summer, we had never actually seen the Pet Shop Boys together! As luck had it, one of the first summer appearances that they announced was at Brussels Summer Festival and I immediately booked tickets.

The situation might have been a lot more different, if they had announced their appearance in Lucca first. Seeing as most of the gigs I attend are in Italy we might have gone there. But we loved the idea of going to a concert in a different country for a change. Plus, the festival was taking place right there in the capital, so no further travelling apart from our plane journeys would be required. As an added extra, a few days after the Pet Shop Boys appearance was announced, Goldfrapp, who I had also wanted to see live for several years,  were also added to the bill, on the very same day.

What was also great about this festival were the ticket prices. 30 Euros only for a one-day pass giving access to all stages of the festival on any given day. Moreover, if you double that amount and pay 60 Euros instead of 30, you don't get a 2-day pass, but a 10-day pass. Access to all stages for all days of the festival! And the various stages are located at squares and other locations in the city centre.

All we had to do one the day, was to exchange the passes we had bought and printed off the internet with wristbands that would give us immediate access to the stages. Now, one has to be careful with that because entrance is "subject to availability". This means that if a lot of people have one-day passes for a particular day, and they all go to a certain stage, they will not be allowed to enter if that stage is full.

Nevertheless, we arrived just in time for Goldfrapp and we realized we could get very near the front. And then, we realized we could get further to the front and so we did! The band entered the stage right on time and Alison looked fabulous dressed all in red. Wow! I mean, WOW! (I think I'd better continue with the review of the gig because my girlfriend is also reading this...:LOL:). She launched immediately into "Anymore" the lead single of her latest album "Silver Eye" (one of the best of the year so far) and continued with songs old and new.

"Systemagic", "Ride On A White Horse" and "Strict Machine" were particularly enjoyable although she didn't play "Happiness" no matter how loudly someone in the audience kept asking for it!

In fact, "Strict Machine" was announced as "our last song for tonight. I bet you can't wait". I hope she didn't mean that we were bored and we couldn't wait for them to finish because we were waiting for the Pet Shop Boys. 

At least, as far as we're concerned, we went there early because we wanted to see them as well! ("We're going to see Goldfrapp! WOW!" was my reaction back in March when they were added to the bill). All in all, they played just a few minutes short of an hour. Having looked at the day's schedule, I thought they were going to play for much longer, but then the time needed to prepare the stage for the Pet Shop Boys must be taken into account.

Although we were at the front of the stage, it was easy for me to walk towards the back during the break to get a beer (which came with a souvenir plastic glass!) and then walk my way back to the front and find our place.

Now, the festival website strongly advised that drink tickets should be bought in advance from the internet, however, the queues, both for the tickets and the drinks themselves were negligible. (Totally unlike Terra Vibe! :LOL:)

At 22:30 the stage was set for the Pet Shop Boys. I had not looked at the internet for setlists or videos from the Super tour. And I did that on purpose. I wanted  to be surprised on the night.

But their set started just I imagined it would. While on the Electric tour the mostly instrumental "Axis" served as an opener, here on the Super tour the again mostly instrumental "Inner Sanctum" served the same purpose as Neil and Chris appeared on stage from behind  a couple of circular props.

"Inner Sanctum" segued into "Opportunities" and that was followed by "The Pop Kids" segued with "In The Night" and "Burn" our first big surprise of the night. I had noticed the song on the "Super" album, but I had ever imagined that it would work so well live.

And then came "Love Is A Bourgeois Construct". This was my favourite song from the "Electric" album, but they did not play it on the Electric tour. They are playing it however on the Super tour and of course they played it on the night with one of their accompanying musicians on electric violin. It's like they owed it to us.

They did not, once again, forget "Love Etc.", but I did not expect its follow up "The Dictator Decides" to be one of the highlights of the evening. This slow song from "Super" is more important for its lyrics rather than its melody, but it worked so well live (and with another costume change from Neil).

 

"West End Girls" was sung in its extended version form (with the extra verse) and the surprises continued with "Home And Dry" a song I had never expected to see live. Then they proved to us that they don't forget their immediately previous album like a lot of bands who usually play only tracks from their latest album combined with their "early stuff". So they played "Vocal" again on this tour. But the biggest surprise came after that with one of my favourite songs from the "Fundamental" album: "The Sodom And Gomorrah Show".

I was starting to wonder whether they wanted to promote their recent "Further Listening" reissues, but when I looked at the setlist again, I realized they played nothing from "Nightlife", nothing from "Elysium" (understandable, probably) and, here comes the big surprise, nothing from "Behaviour"!

After "It's A Sin", the version of "Left To My Own Devices" that followed was expected and already familiar from the 12 inch of "Undertow". 

For the end of their set they announced "an old song in a new version" and although Neil started singing "Heart" he immediately moved into "Go West"

They returned for an encore of course, treating us to "Domino Dancing", the obligatory "Always On My Mind" (the following day was, after all the 40th anniversary of Elvis leaving us) and they wrapped up the proceedings with an extra dose of "The Pop Kids"

And that was it! The balloons were deflated, the square was slowly emptied and we started walking back to our hotel. You see, that's the beauty of a festival like this which takes place in a city centre: No need to worry about public transport or taxis, your accommodation is probably within walking distance. All we had to do now was go to sleep and dream of our next Pet Shop Boys gig...

 

 

SETLISTS

GOLDFRAPP
01. Anymore
02. Train
03. Ocean
04. You Never Know
05. Slide In
06. Everything Is Never Enough
07. Become The One
08. Systemagic
09. Number 1
10. Ride A White Horse
11. Strict Machine

PET SHOP BOYS
01. Inner Sanctum
02. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)
03. The Pop Kids
04. In The Night
05. Burn
06. Love Is A Bourgeois Construct
07. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)
08. Love Etc.
09. The Dictator Decides
10. Inside A Dream
11. West End Girls
12. Home And Dry
13. Vocal
14. The Sodom And Gomorrah Show
15. It's A Sin
16. Left To My Own Devices
17. Heart / Go West
Encore:
18. Domino Dancing
19. Always On My Mind
20. The Pop Kids (Reprise)