Staff Editor on August 22nd, 2018

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Erasure delighted a big crowd at the Wiltern on Tuesday night — their first of four Los Angeles shows this week (the remaining three are sold out).

Andy Bell proved the consummate entertainer, chatting between songs, introducing the backing singers and sharing the story of his surprise when he answered an ad and it ended up being Vince Clarke, whom he had known of and admired. Early in the set, he complimented an audience member’s purple beard with sparkles in it, bemoaning the fact that he can’t grow a beard because it would be all white and he could “play Father Christmas” with it. At one point between songs, he took a gulp from what appeared to be his own personal travel bottle. He gave the crowd his “secret recipe” — warm water, honey and whiskey. Clarke stayed up in his loft for the main set, but for the encore he came out on the floor of the stage with Bell and the backing singers and he played acoustic guitar for “A Little Respect.”

Openers Reed & Caroline, a duo on Clarke’s label VeryRecords, played techno about science and guys taking road trips together. But mostly science. The songs asked important questions, like “Does dark matter matter?” and reminded us all that “buoyancy pushes up and gravity pulls down.”

Erasure setlist: Oh L’Amour, Ship Of Fools, Breathe, Just A Little Love, Chains Of Love, Sweet Summer Loving, Victim Of Love, Phantom Bride, World Be Gone, Who Needs Love Like That, Atomic (Blondie), Love To Hate You, Blue Savannah, Drama, Love You To The Sky, Sometimes, Always, Stop. Encore: A Little Respect

Photos by Andie Mills