Man with a hat @ Best Buy Theater- 9/23 (photo by Chris Cordani)

"1980s Electro-pop gods Human League wrapped up their 2011 US tour with a show at New York's Best Buy Theater on September 23, 2011. It's been a decade since I've seen them in concert and tonight's show was worth the wait. The show began with a set from fellow 1980s gods Men Without Hats (more to come, so stay tuned). Human League took the stage around 9:30 pm and played for about an hour and a half. For me, it was the dream set list. Every hit was played including their classics "Don't You Want Me," "Heart Like A Wheel," "(Keep Feeling) Fascination," "Love Action," "Human," "Mirror Man," and "Being Boiled.""
[According to G]

Men Without Hats and The Human League brought the 80s back to Best Buy Theater in NYC last night (9/23). It was the Human League's last US show for now, but Men Without Hats don't go back to Canada before they headline a show at Mexicali Live in NJ on Saturday night. Tickets are still on sale.

The Human League recently released Credo, their first LP in ten years and ninth overall, though according to a source quoted on Wikipedia, it "will not be available domestically in the US or on iTunes." The album is out now overseas. Maybe that will change, Regardless, the classic new wave band has scheduled some shows in the United States.

Though all dates haven't been announced yet, it looks like The Human League will tour from California to NYC, kicking things off at "Totally 80s Hollywood Bowl" on September 2nd along with The B-52s, The Fixx, and Berlin. The B-52s will also join them on other dates, as will fellow old school new wavers Men Without Hats who are the only opener at the NYC show at Best Buy Theater on 9/23. Tickets for that one go on AmEx presale at 10am today (5/18), and on regular sale on Friday.

Men Without Hats recently played SXSW, a fact that amused many in attendance. Houston Press caught them:

Every year at SXSW, Aftermath scans the schedule of hundreds and hundreds of bands and always has the same reaction: "They're still around?"

This year it was Canadian synth-pop safety dancers Men Without Hats. Since Aftermath was already going to be at Club de Ville Friday to interview Cheap Trick/Candy Golde drummer Bun E. Carlos and the Hats - who turned out to be founder Ivan Doroschuk (in a cowboy hat), two hired guns on synths and another on guitar - were closing out the night, we said, "Why the hell not?"

We're glad we did. Yes, there was the "S-s-s-s...A-a-a-a...F-f-f-f..." portion of the evening, at which point the entire tented patio became a sea of cameras and some very amusing dancing (above), but there's a little more to the Hats than that song, which is still as sleek and joyful as ever. It's no albatross Doroschuk only hauls out because he has to, that's for sure, as proved by the singer's own enthusiastic choreography during the 1982 hit.
For one thing, there's also "Pop Goes the World," an afterthought these days but itself a 1987 smash and practically as perfect a little pop song as you're going to find even today; we watched more than a few people who banked on leaving after "Safety Dance" turn right back around.

B-52s meanwhile will be touring a bit in June. Tickets are on sale for a June 11th NYC show at Irving Plaza.

All known tour dates and some new and old Human League videos, below...

Continue reading "Human League playing shows w/ B-52s & Men Without Hats "

The Human League, Belinda Carlisle, ABC, Dead Or Alive, A Flock of Seagulls and Naked Eyes will tour this summer as part of the inaugural '80s-themed Regeneration Tour, scheduled to begin August 1 at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix.

Dead or Alive will perform on the jaunt through August 11, and A Flock of Seagulls will join the tour on August 13. [Reuters]

The only date on sale so far is the one on August 4th in California, but shows are also scheduled for Boston, Trenton, Jones Beach, and a bunch of other places. All dates below....

Continue reading "'80s pop veterans team for Regeneration tour (dates)"