The historic Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, played host to synth-pop royalty Andy Bell (of Erasure duo fame with Vince Clarke) on Tuesday night. Supported by Savannah Pope, Bell has just kicked off his latest Ten Crowns Tour, with Atlanta being an early second stop. Built in 1930, this 1,800-capacity indoor venue was originally designed in a Spanish baroque style and typically offers a general admission floor setting with an upper, seated balcony area. However, Bell’s show was fully seated, providing his dedicated fans a more intimate setting for the evening.
Kicking off the night and hailing from Los Angeles, California, was opening artist Savannah Pope. With her guitarist/keyboardist Adam Gimenez in tow, the duo first appeared on stage clad in monk-like capes before embarking on a 30-minute mesmerizing musical performance. Reveling in her signature glam-rock style, Pope commanded the stage with an electrifying presence, seamlessly blending soaring operatic notes with gritty rock energy. Her set was both visually striking and emotionally resonant, showcasing her dynamic range and the storytelling prowess in her songwriting. In belting out punchy originals like “Daddy Issues” with cinematic intensity, Pope proved herself to the early audience not to just be a singer, but more as a full-bodied performer who transformed each song into an experience.
Band
Adam Gimenez – Guitar, keyboards
Savannah Pope – Vocals
Following a thirty-minute equipment readiness, the venue house lights went dark slightly past 9:00 p.m. as Bell’s touring band of Dave Aude (keyboards), Jerry Fuentes (guitar), Chelsea King-Blank (backing vocals), and Sarah Tomek (drums) took to the stage. Strolling out in a metallic-looking suit reminiscent of shattered mirrored glass, the ever-flamboyant Bell appeared to loud applause and launched the band into “Breaking Thru the Interstellar,” the first track off his latest solo album, Ten Crowns (May 2025).
I will admit that growing up in the 1980s influenced my musical tastes to be largely anchored in the “hair metal” genre, but I always had a soft spot for synth-pop for some reason, including artists like New Order, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, Alphaville, and certainly Bell’s Erasure. In fact, I saw Erasure at the Lisner Auditorium in Washington, D.C., during their The Innocents Tour back in 1988, so I was looking forward to Tuesday night to see how the 61-year-old Bell carried himself nearly 40 years later. He did not disappoint.
For 90 minutes, Bell’s distinctive voice and killer backing band lead his adoring audience through a musical journey of both old and new. Following the opening tune, Bell dove into back-to-back Erasure tracks in “Blue Savannah” and “Sometimes,” which instigated dancing in the aisles. Charming as always, Bell also took a short pause to recognize and shake hands with a young girl dressed in a full-length, Erasure-branded dress in the front row, which was a really cute and genuine moment.
Ten Crowns is Bell’s first new solo album since Non-Stop (2010), so, as expected, a large portion of the performance showcased new material, including tracks “Don’t Cha Know,” “Heart’s a Liar,” the darker “Godspell,” “For Today,” “Dance for Mercy,” and “Put Your Empathy on Ice.” However, it was the Erasure classics in “Chains of Love,” “Victim of Love,” and “Oh l’amour” that really drove the audience into an arm-waving, hip-shaking frenzy as they tried to keep up with Bell’s infectious energy and dance moves.
After a brief break following “Oh l’amour,” the band returned for a two-song encore, beginning fittingly with a return to Ten Crowns in that release’s closing track, “Thank You.” Then, with barely a pause between, Bell delivered a rousing, sing-along rendition of what is arguably Erasure’s signature single, “A Little Respect,” from their third studio album, The Innocents (1988), to put a closing exclamation point on the night.
Bell’s Ten Crowns Tour is currently scheduled to continue on through December, where he will perform on back-to-back nights at The Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, California, on Friday, December 12th, and Saturday, December 13th to conclude for the year.
Band
Andy Bell – Lead vocals
Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Aude – Keyboards, backing vocals
Jerry Fuentes – Guitar
Chelsea King-Blank – Backing vocals
Sarah Tomek – Drums
Setlist:
1.) Breaking Thru the Interstellar
2.) Blue Savannah (Erasure song)
3.) Sometimes (Erasure song)
4.) Don’t Cha Know
5.) Drama! (Erasure song)
6.) Heart’s a Liar
7.) Chains of Love (Erasure song)
8.) Godspell
9.) Love to Hate You (Erasure song)
10.) Breathe (Erasure song)
11.) Always (Erasure song)
12.) Xanadu (Electric Light Orchestra cover)
13.) For Today
14.) Victim of Love (Erasure song)
15.) Dance for Mercy
16.) Chorus (Erasure song)
17.) Put Your Empathy on Ice
18.) Oh l’amour (Erasure song)
Encore
19.) Thank you
20.) A Little Respect (Erasure song)
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Elliott is a music photographer covering shows in Atlanta, Georgia, and the surrounding area. The highlight of his photography career was back in the early ’90s, when he sold Neil Diamond the rights to his negatives from a show and then purchased a set of tires for his 1979 280ZX during college with the money.