80’s New Wave with Howard Jones and Midge Ure returned to Denver at the Ogden Theater. Howard Jones and Midge Ure’s Ultravox’s music and videos defined much of the 80s with their new wave synth-pop sound. I relived my youth This night as I watched their hits played live at the Ogden Theater in Denver, Colorado.
Denver’s own synthpop/industrial/EBM/darkwave/electro DJ Slave 1 opened the new wave night with a selection of 80s dance mixes, including Tears for Fear‘s “Head over Heel” and Yazoo’s “Only You.” DJ Slave 1 had the packed theater dancing. She ended the short set with the synth-pop dance remix of Depeche Mode’s “Ice Machine.”
Band:
After a quick set change, Midge Ure with keyboardist Dan Burton walked onto the stage. The Ogden Theater audience welcomed the famous new wave singer with screams and applause. Midge started the night with his solo hit, “Dear God”. The rest of the evening was a treat for Ultravox fans. Midge didn’t want the audience to leave by playing new material.
In between the Ultravox greatest hits set, Midge played the 80s synthpop new romantic hit, “Fade to Grey,” from his other famous new wave band, Visage. Midge is one of the most underrated rock guitarists of the 80’s. Tonight, fans who have never seen Midge play live were in for a treat. He showcased his guitar skills throughout the night.
Midge followed “Fade to Grey” with his cover of David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World.” Midge’s ended the night with Ultravox’s hit song “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes.” Anyone who grew up in the 80s heard this in the dance clubs.
Band:
Midge Ure – Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Synthesizer
Dan Burton – Keyboards
Setlist:
1.) Dear God
2.) I Remember (Death in the Afternoon) (Ultravox song)
3.) Reap the Wild Wind (Ultravox song)
4.) Fade to Grey (Visage song)
5.) The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie cover)
6.) Vienna (Ultravox song)
7.) The Voice (Ultravox song)
8.) All Stood Still (Ultravox song)
9.) Hymn (Ultravox song)
10.) Dancing With Tears in My Eyes (Ultravox song)
Howard Jones took to the stage a little after ten and played a solid ninety minutes of hits with a smattering of new material. He wasted no time playing some of his classics from the 80s with “Pearl in the Shell.”
He was accompanied by his guitarist, Robin Boult, on his left, and former Kajagoogoo member Nick Beggs on his right, performing on the Chapman Stick. Behind Howard was Dan Burton on the keyboard and electronic drum pad. Burton was the keyboardist for both Howard and Midge’s bands. Keyboardist Robbie Bronnimann on sequencing rounded out Howard Jones’s band.
Over the next hour and a half, Jones took the audience on a nostalgia-heavy, career-spanning journey of synthpop electronic hits. There were a few surprises for the audience between all his fan-favorite songs. The first part of the set came from his most popular album, Human’s Lib. Songs from Human’s Lib played tonight included “Hunt the Self,” “Equality,” and the very popular “Like to Get to Know You Well.” In between all the songs from Human’s Lib, Jones’s two tracks, “Hero in Your Eyes” and “The One to Love You” from his 2019 album, Transform.
The 2nd set was the night’s highlight with a four-song acoustic set with just Howard, Nick, and Robin. This showcased the band’s musicianship and Jones’s vocals. They started with the hit “Life in One Day” from the Dream Into Action album. Howard followed with the cover of Kajagoogoo’s “Too Shy.” In a fun dialogue, he asked permission from the songwriter of “Too Shy,” Nick Beggs, before performing the song. Now for the show’s surprise, Midge Ure returned to do a special duet with Howard. With Howard on piano, Midge Ure performed the famous 80’s hit, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” The acoustic set ended with the popular track from Human’s Lib, “New Song.”
The third set of the night was a continuation of Howard’s hits from the 80’s with a mixture of recent materials, including two tracks from his new studio album, Dialogue. “Celebrate It Together,” as told by Howard before performing, was written during the pandemic. The 2nd track from Dialogue was “Who You Really Want to Be.” “Who You Really Want to Be” is a commentary on the dangers of social media.
The night ended with Howard Jones’s two biggest hits from the 80s, “What Is Love?” and “No One Is to Blame” Both songs had the audience singing to every word. Howard and the band thanked the audience with only Jones on piano for the encore. Jones finished the show with one more from his Human’s Lib album, the slightly goth-tinged “Hide and Seek.”
For three hours on this night, the audience was taken back to the early 80’s. For some of us, this was the soundtrack of our youth. We grew up watching Howard Jones and Midge Ure with Ultravox on MTV in the early 1980’s. This was when MTV actually played music videos. The musicianship was top-notch, especially watching the talented Nick Beggs play the Chapman Stick. Most of all, it was fun to dance to the 80’s new wave again.
Band:
Howard Jones – Vocals, Keytar, Piano, Keyboards
Robin Boult – Guitar
Nick Beggs – Chapman Stick
Robbie Bronnimann – Keyboards/Electronic Wizardry
Dan Burton – Keyboards/Drum Pads x
Setlist:
1.) Pearl in the Shell
2.) Hunt the Self
3.) Equality
4.) Hero in Your Eyes
5.) Like to Get to Know You Well
6.) The One to Love You
7.) Life in One Day
8.) Too Shy (Kajagoogoo cover)
9.) No One Is to Blame (acoustic)
10.) Do They Know It’s Christmas? (Band-Aid cover) (with Midge Ure)
11.) New Song
12.) The Human Touch
13.) Celebrate It Together
14.) Everlasting Love
15.) Who You Really Want to Be
16.) What Is Love?
17.) Things Can Only Get Better (with Cedric Gervais remix outro)
Encore:
18.) Hide and Seek (solo on keyboards)
Hi, I’m a professional photographer based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I started to take photos at concerts because I get bored very easy and need something to do while watching a musicians or bands perform. So I started taking my point and shoot camera with me and recording what I saw and to show my friends. At first, the camera was just a photographic diary of my concert experience. But after a while I started liking the quality of my shots and concert photography became my hobby. I decided to post my pictures on instagram and facebook. I think fans liked what they saw and started to follow me. Concert photography became my passion and finally I asked All Music Magazine if I could take photos for them. They like my concert photography Instagram page and that opened the door to a whole new area – the photo pit. Now I am happy to say I’m chasing my photography dream – as a professional concert photographer.
