The Psychedelic Furs: Copiague, NY, August 5, 2011

The Psychedelic Furs
Tanner Park
Copiague, NY
August 5, 2011
A jam-packed Tanner Park came alive with the sounds of modern rock as '80s icons, the Psychedelic Furs, turned back time for an hour and a half on this warm and cloudy Friday evening in August. The stage, nestled less than one hundred feet from the ocean in a large, open field in the Suffolk County, Long Island park, played host to a large group of concertgoers who brought blankets, beach chairs and picnic set-ups. Families, soccer moms, refugees from the '80s and music lovers of all ages, the enthusiastic crowd cheered, danced and sang along as Richard Butler and the rest of the Furs rocked out in a hits-filled set that included: "Heartbeat," "Into You Like A Train," "Love My Way," "I Wanna Sleep With You," "The Ghost In You" (which when played, drew a huge round of applause and cheers from the crowd, as an audience member had been yelling his request for the song from the moment the band hit the stage), "Sister Europe," and "Heartbreak Beat."
Looking much younger than his 55 years of age, Butler's vocals as well as the band's energetic renditions of their songs sounded as good, if not better, than they did during the band's heyday. "Pretty In Pink" turned into an audience participation number as the audience crowded the stage and sang along with Butler. With the price of a gallon of gas hovering around $4, "President Gas" was as topical a political statement today as it was when it was first released on 1982's Forever Now (Columbia).
The current Psychedelic Furs lineup, which features vocalist Richard Butler, his brother Tim Butler on bass, Richie Goods on guitar, Mars Williams on saxophone, Amanda Kramer on keyboards and Paul Garisto on drums, rocked so hard that many of the audience members who came with their parents left the Copiague, NY park as newly minted fans who no doubt will attend future Furs performances.


Photo Credit
All Photos: Christine Connallon