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Spring Music Guide 2003 Erasure Support: Cooler Kids Date: March 21, 8pm. $42.50. Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 99 Grove St., San Francisco. 415.974.4000. Also: March 22, 6pm, the Edge, 260 California Ave., Palo Alto. 650.289.0222; listen to Mix 106.5 for tickets Current Album: Other People's Songs (2003) Vitals: Gay-friendly electronic pop featuring Vince Clark of Depeche Mode Breakthrough: "Oh, L'Amour" (1987) Current Single: "Solsbury Hill" (2003) Scouting Report: There was a time when an Erasure tour was big news. Sensitive teens with teased hair and black eyeliner would queue up for hours outside ticket outlets, clamoring for the chance to do dramatic New Wave dances to "A Little Respect" and "Sometimes." Back then, Erasure commanded such attention because of its intensely bubbly songs and the huge production values of its concerts. During the 1992 Phantazmagorical Entertainment tour, Andy Bell and Vince Clark performed in a garish two-act show that mixed musical theater, naughty vaudeville, gay discotheque and HR Pufenstuf. As vocalist Andy Bell shuddered and shimmied in butt-revealing chaps, keyboardist Vince Clark puttered across stage in a moonraker vehicle pushing various buttons and switches. The show's highlight came during its ABBA tribute when a huge KISS-like sign with the flashing word "ABBA" descended from the ceiling, and the duo sang a handful of technofied ABBA tunes with corresponding dance moves. Ten years later, Erasure is going back to the glorified karaoke route, redoing hits by Peter Gabriel, Buddy Holly, the Three Degrees, the Righteous Brothers and others. Bell's fine vocal range befits many of the songs, and Clark--who propelled Yaz and Depeche Mode to stardom--has kept up with technological advancements. Erasure is back and, with luck, has stashed the ABBA sign, just as the '80s kids stashed their black eyeliner. (TI) Send a letter to the editor about this story to letters@metronews.com. [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]