It was back to the 80’s at the House of Blues in Las Vegas and we were treated to three bands who were staples on MTV and college radio stations all across the country back in their 'heyday', for a great night of hits. Headlining this tour is The ALARM, who are having a 'heyday' redux with their new album SIGMA that is currently #1 album in the U.K. Support on the tour is Modern English and Jay Aston's Gene Loves Jezebel, both staples in the 80's British and US pop music scene.
From their website press, vocalist Mike Peters says, “The Sigma Tour will bring out the best that The Alarm has to offer the 21st Century. We look forward to taking part in an event that, along with our friends Modern English and Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel, will hopefully, live long in the memory for all our fans. Our music, which still gets played on the radio every single day, gives us all a platform for creativity that will shine through every second of the Sigma Tour. Fans can expect collaboration, moments of reflection, camaraderie and also the unexpected. The tour will be alive on all the social media platforms allowing fans from around the world to see what it’s like for British bands to be on the road in the USA.”
Jay Aston's GENE LOVES JEZEBEL opened the show, and this was the first time I have seen Jay's version of Gene Loves Jezebel and it was quite good! Jay is a great frontman and really kept the crowd entertained, and this band had some pretty big hits during their time with “Desire", "Heartache" and "Jealous”. MODERN ENGLISH goes all the way back to 1979, and after a few breakups the band got back together in 1995 and have pretty much toured off and on since. Modern English is best known for their big MTV hit “I Melt With
You”, and other songs that received considerable airplay are “Someone’s Calling" and "Hands Across The Sea”. The bands sound is so classic 80’s, you instantly know who it is when a song of theirs is on the radio, and are a good solid live band and it was great to hear these songs again on a live stage.
I have been wanting to see The Alarm for a very long time, singer Mike Peters has always been one of my favs, and to finally have him in Vegas was a rare treat. I my opinion he is one of the best singers out there, and he put on a great show. The Alarm opened with “Blood Red Viral Black" from the new UK #1 SIGMA Album, followed by the classic "The Stand", which had the crowd on their feet! There were three mic stands on the stage equal distance from each other, and Peters would run back and forth to each mic during a song and sing into each one. Peters also played guitar and harmonica off and on during the show, and one of the highlights was when the band played “Rain In the Summertime”, another classic Alarm hit. The band closed their set with and erode of “The Spirit Of 76” before taking a brief encore, then returning to the stage they finished off their show with “68 Guns and Two Rivers”.
Mike Peters is amazing and The Alarm was worth the wait to see them in such a great venue like the House Of Blues! The Sigma Tour will continue through mid-September in the States, and for tour dates and tickets check out their website HERE
Las Vegas Alarm Setlist
Blood Red Viral Black
The Stand (Prophecy)
Peace Now
Rescue Me
Brighter Than the Sun
Knife Edge
Sold Me Down the River
Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke
Walk Forever by My Side
Neutral
Strength
Rain in the Summertime
Beautiful
Spirit of '76
Encore:
68 Guns
Two Rivers
THE ALARM Photos from Harold Mountain / JustAFanPhotos
Modern English Photos from Harold Mountain / JustAFanPhotos
Gene Loves Jezebel Photos from Harold Mountain / JustAFanPhotos
