Recently, my wife and I were watching a DVD of OMD live at Drury Lane on their Architecture + Morality tour in 1981. At a certain point in the proceedings, she asked me how many of the bands that I collect had I not managed to see in concert. OMD certainly weren’t on that list since I’d seen them twice on their “Crush” tour of the States in ’85/’86 when they were opening for The Thompson Twins. Interestingly, I went to a show in Atlanta, Georgia and Lakeland, Florida about a month apart with completely different people. On both occasions we decided to blow The Thompson Twins off in spite of liking that band as well, since they were touring on their tipping-point “Here’s To Future Days” album. Had it been any earlier tour, I’m sure my friends and I would have wanted to stay. Three years earlier and they would have been at their peak! Even though OMD were nearing their own tipping point [it was a year down the road for them at this point] they still had the sauce back then to smoke the headliners.

I lived through the entire New Wave period in Central Florida, and most of the UK bands I loved considered a US tour to be a few dates in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, with maybe 2-3 other gigs to fill out their travel map. The South was the last place many of the groups that I liked ever imagined themselves playing. After all, this was the land of the Rock Superbowl®! Ted Nugent played Orlando 2-3 times a year in the late 70s, at exactly the time that the bands I collected were rewriting the rules in the Post-Punk period. Hell, I can be excused for thinking that Nugent lived in O-town and not in Detroit! In the crucial late-70s period [a.k.a. the explosion] I missed everything! No kidding. I didn’t even see my first rock concert until 1983*, when Joe Jackson deigned to drag his Limey hide down to Touristland on the back of his big selling “Night + Day” album. I was almost 20 years old at that time. Herewith is a quick and dirty listing of the bands I collect who I’ve still not had the pleasure of seeing in performance.

• ABC – They did play on a retro tour about 200 miles away a few years ago, but it was a midweek show. Travel and work missed made it too expensive to attend, though I seriously admire the band. Especially their last album at that point. Sept. 2024 UPDATE: I finally saw ABC!

• Isabelle Antena – I never imagined that I’d get the chance to see this French chanteuse after collecting her albums of NWOBJP for over 20 years. Imagine my surprise at her touring the US in 2006 on the back of her remastered [and now acclaimed] debut album, “Camino Del Sol!” I had tickets for the Atlanta show and several dates into the tour [opening for one Andrew Bird] Isabelle decided that she wasn’t enjoying the gig and bagged it. Gee, thanks!
• Associates – I didn’t get into this band until 1990, by which time they didn’t exist. On the eve of their first US tour in 1982, the band fissured spectacularly over singer Billy MacKenzie’s reluctance to “break America” and he never sang a note on American soil. He barely did it back in the UK.
• Black/Colin Vearncombe – This phenomenal songwriter has a large body of work in my collection, but I don’t think he’s ever toured here. Jan. 2016 UPDATE: Colin Vearncombe R.I.P.

• Blow Monkeys – I’ve been a rabid fan since their second album hit these shores, but they’ve never come within a thousand miles of wherever I’ve lived.
• The Blue Nile – This Scot band have two of the best albums I’ve ever heard under their belts. Their tours are even more sporadic than their once-every-seven-years albums. They probably hit NYC more than once, but not when I had a handle on it.
• Claudia Brücken/Act/Propaganda – None of Claudia’s incarnations have ever toured where I had access. In 2004, she did play a gig with Paul Humphries of OMD in Chicago. There was no way I could have afforded to truck anywhere at that point in time for an away gig, sadly.

• Cabaret Voltaire – This was a very major band for me, particularly in their “commercial” industrial funk phase as evidenced on Some Bizzare/Virgin records. I think I found out that they played Atlanta at some point after the fact.
• Carmel – Another crucial NWOBJP performer who has probably never toured the US ever. Only her first album ever got a release here.
• Sheila Chandra – I first became a fan with her early work with the band Monsoon! They were the first thing I’d call “world beat” that I remember hearing in 1981 and the idea of combining Indian raga pop with synthesizers and even Bill Nelson on guitar was huge to me. The band broke up after that debut and Ms. Chandra opted for a fruitful solo career, eventually ending up recording for Peter Gabriel’s Real World label. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of her playing live anywhere.
• China Crisis – I love this melodic Liverpudlian band dearly, but on their rare excursions across the big pond, they never played anywhere near me. June 2025 UPDATE: I saw China Crisis in a festival!

• DEVO – This one’s bittersweet. I’ve missed DEVO three times. They really supplied me with the musical equivalent of pure hits of oxygen in 1978 when their debut album was released. They played downtown Orlando on their “Freedom of Choice” tour in 1980. Alas, I had no car was stuck at home. In 1988 they played the Visage club, but I callously blew them off as “past their prime.” They were to play this year’s Moogfest in Asheville, but I balked at paying festival ticket prices for a day pass to this event that had nothing else I was interested in seeing – with no guarantee that I’d be admitted to their show!! Insult to injury? Bob 1 cut his hand two days prior to the Halloween weekend event and the band had to bow out! Aug. 2018 UPDATE: Well I saw Mark Mothersbaugh give a panel discussion! Oct. 2025 UPDATE: And fifteen years later, I finally saw DEVO give a concert!
• Anna Domino – She was one of my favorite female singers of the mid-80s and one of the rare North American contributors to the NWOBJP. In a next best case scenario, she did play the SF area at the time of her one “Snakefarm” album and at least my friend Tom got the pleasure.
• Stephen Duffy/The Lilac Time – I’ve been into this pop genius ever since seeing his debut album “The Ups + Downs” in the bins back in 1985. I have dozens of his records. The 7″ singles are filled with exclusive goodness that repay careful cultivation. Has the guy ever played a concert in The States and given me the chance to see him sing his songs live? Hell, no!
• Brian Eno – Ha ha. Funny. Well, I would see him if given the chance! Sept. 2011 UPDATE: I’m getting the chance!!!
• Eurythmics/Annie Lennox/The Tourists – I was first a fan of The Tourists. How I wanted to see them live back in the day. Eurythmics were coming to Central Florida at some time during their much less interesting post-1984 phase – except Dave Stewart broke his leg. End of tour. As for Annie Lennox, at this point I wouldn’t bother unless she was doing a living room show across the street. For free.

• John Foxx – He’s the one. The big fish. I never thought I’d get a chance to ever see him perform and when he came back into music in 1997, he shocked me by playing live for the first time since 1983. He’s consistently if not diligently performed live in the years since then. All overseas, of course. There were times where I had the excess income to fly to the UK for a show but that was exactly the time of his “retirement.” That doesn’t mean that I still won’t go in debt to see this guy play synth music like the master he is! My wife has said that if he’s playing anywhere even vaguely near the time of my 50th birthday, then we float a loan to go. Ironically, he and I share the same birthday and it took my wife to find this out and tell it to me!

Well, I’ve made a dent in the big list and will have to finish this up at another time. Lunch is over. I’m not done with this topic yet. Not by a long shot!