The Electric Tour was synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys' 2013–15 world tour in support of their two albums Elysium and Electric. The first leg started on 22 March and ended in October in Mexico. The second leg of the tour was announced in January 2014, starting at the Coachella festival in California in April. A third leg of the tour was announced in February 2015, starting at the Festival Contempopranea in Badajoz, Spain. Notably, the tour was announced on 5 December 2012 even before the announcement of Electric, the album bearing the same name with the tour.
Concept The show consists of the band along with two dancers performing in front of a huge screen.
The screen often projects the silhouettes of band members Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe morphing into different colours or shapes according to each song, but it also projects other types of videos, such as visiting places of the world via Google Earth during "Somewhere".
The show starts with "Axis" and ends, on most dates, with "Vocal", which are respectively the opening and closing tracks of their Electric album.
The set list has some short interludes or extended instrumental parts to allow the band to go offstage, change costumes and come back. Those moments could also be considered as links between one act and another in the show.
The dancers always have their faces covered in some way. They appear for the first time during the interlude preceding "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing" and finish off on "Vocal", both times wearing big minotaur masks.
Reviews Alex Needham of The Guardian said of the Sydney shows, "Like a lot of their long career, the show walks a tightrope between pop and art, silliness and profundity. Much of it sees the Pet Shop Boys perform in extravangant outfits (fluorescent orange jackets; a disco ball which entirely covers Lowe’s head) in front of specially-made films ranging from Google Earth images for Somewhere to equations for Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)."
Robert Collins of CTV British Columbia said of the Vancouver show, "... they comprehensively proved how ideas are at the heart of pop stardom."
Setlist
Tour dates DateCityCountryVenue North America22 March 2013PapantlaMexicoCumbre Tajín Festival South America13 May 2013SantiagoChileMovistar Arena16 May 2013Buenos AiresArgentinaLuna Park18 May 2013LuqueParaguayCentro de Convenciones de la Conmebol22 May 2013São PauloBrazilCredicard Hall25 May 2013BogotáColombiaCentro de Eventos Bima Europe & Middle East3 June 2013Saint PetersburgRussiaOktyabrskiy Big Concert Hall5 June 2013MoscowCrocus City Hall9 June 2013CopenhagenDenmarkFalkoner Salen11 June 2013ParisFranceGrand Rex15 June 2013BarcelonaSpainSónar Festival 201318 June 2013LondonEnglandThe O2 Arena20 June 2013ManchesterManchester Arena23 June 2013Tel AvivIsraelNokia Arena29 June 2013StockholmSwedenCirkus1 July 2013DortmundGermanyMusic Week Festival3 July 2013Karlovy VaryCzech RepublicKV Arena5 July 2013TallinnEstoniaTallinn Song Festival Grounds7 July 2013TurkuFinlandRuisrock9 July 2013FreiburgGermanyZMF10 July 2013MunichTollwood Festival at Musik Arena13 July 2013ByblosLebanonByblos Festival16 July 2013AthensGreeceEjekt Festival Asia3 August 2013SentosaSingaporeResorts World Convention Centre6 August 2013Quezon CityPhilippinesAraneta Coliseum9 August 2013TokyoJapanMakuhari Messe11 August 2013Summer Sonic Festival14 August 2013SeoulSouth KoreaSupersonic Festival17 August 2013JakartaIndonesiaJakarta Convention Center20 August 2013ShanghaiChinaShanghai Grand Stage22 August 2013BeijingMasterCard Center24 August 2013BangkokThailandImpact Arena Europe4 September 2013GdańskPolandErgo Arena6 September 2013BerlinGermanyBerlin Festival North America12 September 2013Miami BeachUnited StatesJackie Gleason Theater13 September 2013Saint PetersburgMahaffey Theater14 September 2013AtlantaAtlanta Symphony Hall16 September 2013New York CityBeacon Theatre17 September 201319 September 2013BethesdaStrathmore21 September 2013BostonHouse of Blues22 September 2013PhiladelphiaMann Center for the Performing Arts24 September 2013MontrealCanadaOlympia Theatre25 September 2013TorontoSony Centre for the Performing Arts27 September 2013WindsorCaesars Windsor28 September 2013ChicagoUnited StatesAuditorium Building2 October 2013SeattleParamount Theatre3 October 2013VancouverCanadaQueen Elizabeth Theatre4 October 2013PortlandUnited StatesArlene Schnitzer Concert Hall5 October 2013OaklandFox Theatre7 October 20138 October 2013San DiegoCopley Symphony Hall11 October 2013Las VegasHard Rock Hotel and Casino12 October 2013Los AngelesShrine Auditorium15 October 2013Mexico CityMexicoMexico City Arena Europe31 December 2013EdinburghScotlandHogmanay at the Gardens North America8 April 2014OaklandUnited StatesFox Theatre11 April 2014VenturaVentura Theater12 April 2014CoachellaCoachella Festival15 April 2014DallasThe Majestic Theatre16 April 2014AustinACL Live at the Moody Theater18 April 2014PhoenixComerica Theatre19 April 2014CoachellaCoachella Festival23 April 2014AshevilleMoogfest25 April 2014Atlantic CityRevel Casino Hotel – Ovation Hall26 April 2014New York CityTerminal 5 Australia6 June 2014SydneyAustraliaCarriageworks7 June 20148 June 2014 Europe13 June 2014BirminghamEnglandLG Arena15 June 2014CardiffWalesMotorpoint Arena16 June 2014BlackpoolEnglandEmpress Ballroom4 July 2014ViennaAustriaJazz Fest Wien7 July 2014BudapestHungaryBudapest Park10 July 2014Novi SadSerbiaExit Festival12 July 2014LiepājaLatviaLMT Summer Sound14 July 2014ZürichSwitzerlandLive At Sunset Festival18 July 2014PoriFinlandPori Jazz Festival25 July 2014TurinItalyTraffic Festival30 July 2014MarbellaSpainStarlite Festival1 August 2014GijónPlaza La Laboral3 August 2014GironaCap Roig Festival7 August 2014SkanderborgDenmarkSmukfest Skanderborg9 August 2014LokerenBelgiumLokerse Festival10 August 2014UtrechtNetherlandsTivoliVredenburg11 August 201413 August 2014PragueCzech RepublicForum Karlín15 August 2014CopenhagenDenmarkSmukfest Copenhagen29 August 2014StradballyIrelandElectric Picnic25 August 2014BorchesterEnglandLoxfest on The Archers31 August 2014BingleyBingley Music Live Festival2 September 2014GatesheadThe Sage3 September 20145 September 2014GlasgowScotlandClyde Auditorium7 September 2014PortmeirionWalesFestival No. 6 Asia20 September 2014SingaporeSingaporeFormula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix24 September 2014Kuala LumpurMalaysiaStadium Negara26 September 2014Hong KongHong KongAsiaworld Expo Hall 1028 September 2014TaipeiTaiwanLinko Dome South America22 November 2014Punta Del EsteUruguayConrad Resort and Casino Africa12 December 2014JohannesburgSouth AfricaSandton Convention Centre15 December 2014Cape TownGood Hope Centre19 December 2014DurbanMoses Mabhida Stadium Europe5 June 2015BadajozSpainFestival Contempopranea8 June 2015BarcelonaFestival Jardins De Pedralbes25 June 2015RomeItalyAuditorium Parco della Musica27 June 2015LjubljanaSloveniaFlow Festival Ljubljana14 August 2015GothenburgSwedenWay Out West Festival15 August 2015HelsinkiFinlandFlow Festival
Personnel
Pet Shop Boys Neil Tennant Chris Lowe
Dancers Merry Holden Tom Herron
Creative and tour personnel Es Devlin – creative director and set design Rob Sinclair – lighting design Andrew Turner – laser design Luke Halls – video content Jack James – video/LED director Jeffrey Bryant – costume design Andy Crookston – tour manager Thomas Stone – production manager Matt Gurney – stage manager Holger Schwark – sound engineer Seamus Fenton – monitor engineer Jon Barker – lighting director Michael Bowerman – lighting crew chief Ed Duda – lighting technician Kenny Rutkowski – lighting technician
References