The Pet Shop Boys turn State's stage into lifelike Tetris game

 

Jen Boyles for City Pages

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Now's as good a time as any for an admission: this eventual new wave freak originally got into Pet Shop Boys like a noob with Stateside radio hit "West End Girls" (of course), and while I was all-in for this show, I wasn't sure withstanding more than a half hour of Tennant's caustic nasal tenor was a doable mission. I'm happy to be wrong on this - it was an epic display - and if a packed house rarely sitting down at a sit-down show is any indication, the gay boys, middle-aged 80s fans and neo-nostalgics at the State thought so, too.

Nick Vlcek for City Pages

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 High-energy for nearly both hours save a lingering mid-set lag of slower-tempo tunes "Jealousy" and "The Way It Used To Be," (when Tennant donned a suit and bowler) the Boys and their "cubie" dancers took the show full throttle all while avoiding coming off as trying too hard to hold fans' attention.

Nick Vlcek for City Pages

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 Highlights of the night included an early-on performance of "You Were Always On My Mind" (also made famous by Elvis and Willie Nelson), Saturday Night Fever line-dancing to "New York City Boy" and the massive igloo-of-sorts cascading to the floor after "Domino Dancing" (wherein Tennant sings, "Watch them all fall down"). At the end of the show, the human Legos take the cubes off their heads, get introduced, and tear off their typical 9-to-5 ensembles, breaking out of their robotic movements and coming alive with soulful and inspired dancing for final number .... (you got it) "West End Girls."

By the time exhilarated fans took to the exits, it was clear no one was thinking about work the next day -- and we're sure that was the whole point. 

Pet Shop Boys at The State Theatre