Sparks at Town Hall
photo by P Squared

Sparks played a joyous show at Town Hall (pics, setlist, video), do it again tonight

Sparks had two of the most high-profile years of their five-decade career during the pandemic, releasing A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip in 2020 and then being a part of two acclaimed 2021 films: Edgar Wright‘s documentary The Sparks Brothers, and their rock opera Annette, that they made with director Leos Carax. But they hadn’t played live until this tour.

Russell Mael told the audience at Monday Night’s Town Hall show that he and his brother Ron weren’t sure if or when they would ever be able to play live again, so it was really special for them to be back in New York. It was clearly a special, joyous night for everyone there, as Ron, Russell, and their ace live band played a crowd pleasing set of new and old songs. While “here’s a new one” can be synonymous with “let’s hit the bar” at a show for a band that have been around as long as they have, Sparks have fans who are just as into the new records as the old.

The night opened, appropriately, with “May We Start” from Annette, and then went into the title track of 1982’s Angst In My Pants, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary today (3/29). Their set also included “Tips for Teens,” “Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me),” “Wonder Girl,” their FFS collab with Franz Ferdinand “Johnny Delusional,” “When Do I Get to Sing ‘My Way'” and more.

Of course, Sparks brought the house down with the main set’s closing two numbers: “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us” and “No. 1 Song in Heaven” which, as usual, featured the stoic Ron Mael getting up from behind his keyboard to dance for a minute. They returned for a two-song encore of “Suburban Homeboy” and “All That.”

Pics from the night by P Squared are in this post, and you can check out the setlist and video from Monday’s Town Hall show below.

Russell also told the crowd that they had finished a new album and are working on another movie musical. Stay tuned!

Sparks play Town Hall again tonight and there are a few tickets available.

SPARKS @ THE TOWN HALL 4/28/2022
So May We Start
Angst in My Pants
Tips for Teens
Under the Table With Her
Get in the Swing
I Married Myself
I Predict
Wonder Girl
Stravinsky’s Only Hit
Shopping Mall of Love
Johnny Delusional
We Love Each Other So Much
Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me)
Lawnmower
Music That You Can Dance To
The Rhythm Thief
Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth
When Do I Get to Sing “My Way”
My Baby’s Taking Me Home
The Number One Song in Heaven
This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us

Encore:
Suburban Homeboy
All That

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