Concert Review: Roxy Music at Moody Center, Austin: Inimitable genre-straddling outfit celebrate 50 years together with stellar retrospective set.
It takes a special kind of alchemy to keep a band together, let alone one that makes it to the five-decade mark. But Roxy Music has always been a special band: part art project, part glam trail-blazers, part sensual sophisto-pop, all configured into an elastic, enigmatic blend.
Sure, they’ve proven a combustible mix through the years, losing musical mad-scientist Brian Eno early in their career, and going on hiatus multiple times.
Yet they’ve never called it quits, reuniting every decade or so to hit the road, and even though their last full-length album, Avalon, came out 40 years ago, that release and the rest of their back catalogue is vast enough to secure their legacy. Indeed, they’ve proven so iconic they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
The group celebrated their semi-centennial mark at Austin’s Moody Center this week, their first appearance in the state capital in 46 years. And after a sizzling and sultry opening set by Texas native and Roxy fangirl St. Vincent, the group took to the stage.
The original lineup (vocalist/keyboardist Bryan Ferry, guitarist Phil Manzanera, saxophonist/oboist Andy MacKay and drummer Paul Thompson) were flanked by an armada of 9 backing musicians, many pulled from Ferry’s solo band.
This addition of multiple drummers, saxophonists, guitarists, keyboardists and backup singers created a seismic, aural tapestry, with an exquisite sound mix that complimented their widescreen sonic approach.
The band kicked things off with the jaunty Re-Make/Re-Model from their 1972 self-titled debut, creating party-ambiance that lasted throughout the evening. Ferry’s voice, while hoarser and thickened with age, still has the power to mesmerize, his worldweary romantic delivery wafting over the audience like hazy smoke in a jazz club.
Ladytron was another highlight, building to a frenetic pace and dual solos between Manzanera and MacKay, with both pushing their instruments to the breaking point as they achieved a mix of harmonization and outside notes.
The shambling, spooky, The Bogus Man cast a strange spell with its hypnotic bassline and Ferry’s hushed delivery. The song’s ominous mood was surpassed only by the haunting In Every Dream Home A Heartache, Ferry’s unnerving love letter to a blowup doll, culminating in a frenetic climax that had seated attendees leaping to their feet.
Avalon was a focal point throughout. An album notorious for its aphrodisiac qualities has lost none of its power, from the sensual throb of The Main Thing, to the yearning While My Heart is Still Beating, and the NYC romance ode To Turn You On.
The album’s two biggest hits were bonafide crowd pleasers: the one-two punch of New Wave classic More Than This, and the Latin-tinged title track featuring the otherworldly falsetto of backing singer Phebe Edwards.
Oh Yeah, off 1980’s Flesh and Blood was another standout, augmented by projections of a drive-in theater, full of technicolor romance. Indeed, the multimedia aspect of the show was stellar, adding cinematic touches throughout the set, including fan-favorite Dance Away, with the crowd heeding the title.
The show’s momentum came to a fever pitch during Love Is The Drug, and incendiary renditions of Editions of You and the jazzy swagger of Do The Strand (the latter two off 1973’s For Your Pleasure).
The set ended with a soulful and emotive rendition of John Lennon’s Jealous Guy, culminating in Ferry whistling wistfully as the song drew to a close.
Ferry smiled appreciatively at the audience throughout the performance, truly enjoying inhabiting this musical space with die-hard fans. It was a true love affair between band and audience members which spanned multiple generations.
Roxy Music hasn’t played Austin this century (although Ferry has visited twice on his own) and given the band members are all in their 70’s, spend decades apart, and rarely tour America, it’s likely this is their last appearance in the Lone Star State.
So while there were some glaring omissions in the set (Angel Eyes, Virginia Plain, The Thrill of It All and Mother of Pearl, come to mind), could we really ask for more than this? I think not. This was an electric evening that will cast an indelible musical memory for all that attended.