Hero Worship

Vinnie's cell phone pic shows how close we were!

To be brutally honest, when we got the tickets for Richard Butler's solo performance, my friends and I were a little wary. Sure, The Psychedelic Furs are far and away our favorite band, but when we heard the concert was going to be an "intimate, mostly acoustical evening," my first thought was, "Gee, I hope this doesn't suck."

About five minutes into the show, we knew we were in for a terrific night.

For starters, the show was held at The University of Pennsylvania's radio station - WXPN - in the first floor auditorium. Well, "auditorium" is used loosely here, since the place contained a bar, some tables, and a dance floor that held about 100 people. We were one of the first groups inside, and made a bee-line towards the stage. As you can see in the picture, we were close enough to get hit with Richard's sweat. If you're into that kind of thing, that is.

Butler opened up with some tracks from his new solo album, but soon mixed in some Furs classics. About twenty minutes into the show, my brother-in-law Mike noticed that Richard's brother Tim, who is also a member of The Furs, was standing behind him in the audience. Naturally, when Deathlok heard this, he rushed up to shake Tim's hand. When he returned, he mumbled something about now being able to upstage me in today's blog posts. Weasel!

About halfway through his set, Butler took a sip of Coke - the soda; unlike most bands, The Furs are clean - when Deathlok called out something that made Richard laugh out loud. (I don't want to stomp upon his story, but it was funny, so check out his blog.) The concert motored on, and the crowd was really into both the old and the new, and when all was said and done, Butler stood up, thanked everyone, and then made my lifetime.

As he was walking off-stage, Richard Freakin' Butler shook my hand! Yeah, I know I am sounding like a pre-pubescent little girl, but this guy is my hero. It was awesome. Soon after, not to be outdone by Deathlok, I saw Tim Butler behind us and approached him. I extended my hand and said, "Mr. Butler, I just wanted to say that I am a huge fan." He said, "Thank you very much," and shook my hand. Unlike some celebrities, Tim Butler did not appear put off by some jackass blogger rushing him. He was, like his brother, rather down-to-earth.

And that's why The Psychedelic Furs are my favorite band of all time.

For those who haven't heard of The Psychedelic Furs before, here's one of their earlier hits; Pulse. Enjoy!